Get the shingles vaccine after 50

Cost

The recombinant shingles vaccine takes 2 doses, about 3000 to 4000 CNY in all. You pay all of it yourself.

What you get

A phase 3 trial across 18 countries enrolled 15,400 (1.54万) people. People were randomized into two groups, one getting the vaccine and one a control shot, and followed for 3.2 years on average. The result was 6 cases of shingles in the vaccine group and 210 in the placebo group. That works out to 0.3 versus 9.1 per 1000 person-years, where a person-year means 1000 people observed for a year. The paper states: “overall vaccine efficacy against herpes zoster was 97.2% (95% CI 93.7–99.0, P<0.001).” Efficacy in the individual age groups ranged from 96.6% to 97.9%. Within 7 days after the shot, reactions at the injection site and throughout the body were more common in the vaccine group. Grade 3 symptoms (the most severe level) were reported by 17.0% in the vaccine group and 3.2% in the placebo group. The shares with serious adverse events and deaths were similar in the two groups

Notes

It ranks low on value because it is expensive. Shingles itself rarely kills; the trouble is postherpetic neuralgia, which can hurt for months to years. Within a week of the shot, reactions at the injection site and throughout the body were more common than with the placebo. The share reporting the most severe level (grade 3 symptoms) was 17.0% versus 3.2%, and serious adverse events were similar in the two groups

Evidence grade

A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.

Sources

1. Lal H, Cunningham AL, Godeaux O, et al. (2015). Efficacy of an adjuvanted herpes zoster subunit vaccine in older adults. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(22), 2087-2096: "There were solicited or unsolicited reports of grade 3 symptoms in 17.0% of vaccine recipients and 3.2% of placebo recipients. The proportions of participants who had serious adverse events or potential immune-mediated diseases or who died were similar in the two groups." https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1501184

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 1, tip 21. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer