People aged over 65 and those with compromised immune systems will get free protection against shingles as part of a national vaccination program from November 1.
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Shingles, a reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox, develops in about one in three people over their lifetime and can lead to ongoing pain lasting months or years.
More than 22,000 Ballarat residents will be eligible for the new Shingrix vaccine, which will provide 10 years protection against shingles.
Shingles typically occurs as a rash with painful blisters across the chest, abdomen or face, with the pain described as aching, burning, stabbing or shock-like.
In the past 12 months, there have been 32 confirmed cases of shingles in Ballarat with 25 of those diagnosed since January.
The federal government will spend more than $826 million to provide the protection for those most at risk from severe diseases.
The free vaccines will be offered to those aged over 65 and Indigenous Australians over 50, along with immunocompromised people 18 and older.
Shingrix, is the first non-live vaccine to be listed on the National Immunisation Program to prevent shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) a complication of shingles resulting in ongoing pain that occurs in up to one in five shingles cases.
It replaces a previous shingles vaccine that contained minute traces of the live virus, making it unsuitable for people with compromised immune systems.
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"Shingles can be serious, and in some cases can result in patients being impacted by debilitating, long-term effects. People who develop shingles generally need time off work, sometimes for weeks, and if they experience post-herpetic neuralgia, the pain can linger long after the rash and blisters have disappeared," said University of Sydney infectious diseases expert Professor Robert Booy.
Painaustralia chief executive Giulia Jones said she was pleased the government was taking shingles seriously.
"The pain of shingles is often described by our members as the worst they have ever experienced. Often these people are already in pain due to other health issues, and if they develop ongoing complications, their life can be very uncomfortable," she said.
The vaccination will be available free on the National Immunisation Program from November 1 for
- individuals 65 years of age and older;
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals aged 50 years and older;
- immunocompromised individuals aged 18 years and older with conditions at 'high risk' of shingles. These conditions include haemopoietic stem cell transplant, solid organ transplant, haematological malignancy and advanced or untreated HIV.7
- with AAP
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