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People most at risk of developing shingles are missing out on the vaccine, thanks to a specific funding programme which gives 65-year-olds just one year to get immunised for free.
Nearly all adults over the age of 50 have the virus dormant in their bodies, and the risk of it developing increases with age. But the current funding programme has a short and very specific window. The first of two doses can be accessed by those aged 65 - but only until their 66th birthday. And people are not covered for the second dose, if they miss out on the first one.
Te Whatu Ora says people can expect to pay $600-$800, if they have to pay for the vaccine themselves. Kathryn speaks to geriatrician Dr Tyson Oberndorfer and Jo Millar from Grey Power.
