Shingles Vaccine Free for Australians aged 70.
A story is going around that the Government is stopping the FREE Shingles Vaccine.
This is one example, currently being shared on Twitter:
The “story” says that at the end of THIS MONTH (Oct 2021) our wonderful Morrison govt are stopping the free shingles injections for the 70 and over. Then the cost for ALL FUTURE ppl will be around $330.
The TRUE STORY?
But the TRUE story is that the FREE Shingles Vaccine is available, and continues to be available, to anyone aged 70, under the National Immunisation Program NIP Schedule .
The Government is also pushing those aged 71 to 79, who have not yet had the FREE Shingles Vaccine, to get it NOW! Before 31 October 2021.
In November 2016, a five year catch-up program began, which allowed those aged 71 to 79 to get a free vaccination. That catch up program will expire in October this year, 2021. That means that those age 71-79 who have still not chosen to get the FREE vaccine, available since 2016, will need to pay for it, if they choose to get it after the five year program finishes in October 2021.
After October 2021, unvaccinated seniors in the affected age range will have to pay around $200 (depending on the pharmacy) for a vaccine, while seniors aged 70 can continue to get the vaccine for free.
https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/7257223/clock-ticking-for-over-70s-shingles-shot/
Two out of three older Aussies haven’t had a free shingles vaccine.
About one in three people will develop the illness at some stage during their lifetime and in Australia around 120,000 new cases of herpes zoster occur each year accounting for approximately one in 1000 of all GP visits. (Shingles is the common name for herpes zoster)
According to the Health Direct website shingles often occurs with no known trigger. It is more likely to occur if you:
- are 60 years of age or older
- are experiencing physical and emotional stress
- more at www.thesenior.com.au Older Australians Ignoring Free Shingles Vaccination
Twitter story on Oct 3, 2021
Shingles is something connected to if you had chicken pox “at ANY time” in your life. And it’s a buggar. At the end of THIS MONTH our wonderful Morrison govt are stopping the free shingles injections for the 70 and over. Then the cost for ALL FUTURE ppl will be around $330