The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that shingles vaccine should be offered to all those aged 70 – 79 years. The vaccine is being routinely offered to all those aged 70 years and to all those aged 71 to 79 years through a progressive catch-up.

In the first year of the programme, 2013/14, shingles vaccination was offered to patients aged 70 and 79 years old. For 2014/15, we are offering vaccination to patients aged 70, 78 and 79 years old and, for 2015/16, we will offer the vaccine to patients aged 70 and 78 years old.

We are committed to delivering the JCVI’s recommendation in full. Eligibility criteria for immunisation in each year of the programme are informed by the volumes of vaccine that have been contracted and scheduled for delivery in that particular year.

We are committed to delivering the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) recommendation on shingles immunisation. The vaccine is being offered routinely to those aged 70 years and to all those aged 71 to 79 years through a progressive catch-up.

In the first year of the programme, 2013/14, the vaccine was offered to all those aged 70 and 79 years old. In 2014/15 the vaccine was offered to all those aged 70, 78 and 79 years old and in 2015/16, the vaccine will be offered to those aged 70 and 78 years old.

General practitioners may also continue to offer immunisation to all those who have become eligible as 70 year olds from 1 September 2013 but have not yet been immunised.

This progressive programme will ensure that all those JCVI has recommended be vaccinated will be offered the vaccine.

We are committed to delivering the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) recommendation on shingles immunisation. The vaccine is being offered routinely to those aged 70 years and to all those aged 71 to 79 years through a progressive catch-up.

In the first year of the programme, 2013/14, the vaccine was offered to all those aged 70 and 79 years old. In 2014/15 the vaccine was offered to all those aged 70, 78 and 79 years old and in 2015/16, the vaccine will be offered to those aged 70 and 78 years old.

General practitioners may also continue to offer immunisation to all those who have become eligible as 70 year olds from 1 September 2013 but have not yet been immunised.

This progressive programme will ensure that all those JCVI has recommended be vaccinated will be offered the vaccine.

There will be a review of the Public Health Outcomes Framework later in 2015. Any proposal to include shingles vaccination as an indicator will be considered as part of the review process.

Provisional vaccine uptake data for England show that about 360,000 70 to 79-year-olds received the shingles vaccine between 1 September 2013 and 30 April 2014. The actual number will be higher as about 20% of general practitioner (GP) practices are not able to automatically submit uptake information. If it is assumed that the non-reporting practices have similar uptake rates to those that have reported, then the estimated total number of people aged 70 to 79 years receiving the vaccine in the first eight months of the programme, would be around 450,000.

This is the first year of this immunisation programme and there is no formal target for the number to be vaccinated. Eligible patients aged 70 and 79 who have not yet received shingles vaccine during the 2013-14 programme will continue to be offered vaccination under the national programme until 31 August 2014. It is not possible to predict how many will take up the offer of vaccination in this period, but Public Health England expects vaccine uptake to continue to rise, and we would encourage those eligible individuals to contact their GP to arrange their vaccination if they have not already done so.

Further provisional cumulative coverage data will be published on a quarterly basis, with the final annual coverage data for the 2013-14 programme due to be published in autumn 2014.