Herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, is a painful blistering rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. (File image.) Photo: 123RF
A Taranaki geriatrician believes the availability of the free shingles vaccine should be expanded.
Shingles is a viral infection caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus - the same disease which causes chickenpox.
Currently, the first of two doses can be accessed for free by those aged 65 - but only until their 66th birthday - after that people have to pay for it themselves.
It is also free for people 18 and over with specific medical conditions.
Taranaki geriatrician Dr Tyson Oberndorfer told Nine to Noon for those over the age of 85 the risk of developing shingles was one in two people.
The disease could cause nerve pain which ranged from lasting for weeks to the rest of someone's life, Dr Oberndorfer said. It could also cause vision loss, he said.
The most recent shingles vaccine had an effectiveness of about 90 percent, he said.
Dr Oberndorfer believed Pharmac should increase the age range of people able to access to the vaccine due to elderly people being the most vulnerable to getting the virus.
"I strongly believe that they should further expand funding to all adults who are 65 years and older."
Grey Power national secretary Jo Millar told Nine to Noon people in their 70s who got shingles generally spent four days in hospital.
"To me, this seems ridiculous. A hospital cost is about $8700 a day and four days we're looking at over $30,000."
Providing the shingles vaccine to more people for free could save money for the health system, Millar said.
She believed hundreds of people were missing out on getting the vaccine due to the limitations around eligibility to the free vaccine.
Health New Zealand has been approached for comment.
In April, Pharmac announced it would widen access, from 1 July 2024, to the shingles vaccine for some immunocompromised people aged 18 years or older.
"There will be no other changes to age eligibility criteria for Shingrix at this time, meaning that it will remain funded for all other people aged 65 years."
On its website, Pharmac also said it was seeking clinical advice or assessing other applications on the shingles vaccine, including one for all people over the age of 65.
