Shingles vaccines, chickenpox, Shingrix



“Moderna’s CEO announced the company will no longer invest in new Phase 3 vaccine trials for infectious diseases: ‘You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the U.S. market.’ Vaccines for Epstein-Barr virus, herpes, and shingles have been shelved.”
 
Shingles vaccine may slow biological aging and reduce inflammation

Date: February 26, 2026
Source:University of Southern California

Summary: A shingles shot might do more than prevent a painful rash — it could actually help slow down the aging process. In a large national study of more than 3,800 Americans age 70 and older, those who received the shingles vaccine showed slower biological aging compared to those who didn’t. Researchers found lower levels of chronic inflammation and slower changes in gene activity linked to aging, suggesting the vaccine may calm the body’s “inflammaging” — the low-grade inflammation tied to heart disease, frailty, and cognitive decline.
 
Association between shingles vaccination and slower biological aging: Evidence from a U.S. population-based cohort study

Abstract​

There is growing interest in whether adult vaccines such as shingles vaccine may slow biological aging beyond preventing acute infections. Using data from the nationally representative U.S. Health and Retirement Study, we examined whether shingles vaccination is associated with more favorable profiles across seven biological aging domains: inflammation, innate and adaptive immunity, cardiovascular hemodynamics, neurodegeneration, and epigenetic and transcriptomic aging, as well as a composite biological aging score. Analyses included adults aged 70+ in 2016 (n = 3,884), with biological measures drawn from venous blood, flow cytometry, and physical assessments. Weighted linear regressions adjusted for sociodemographic, and health covariates. Shingles vaccination was significantly associated with lower inflammation scores (b=–0.14, p = 0.0027), slower epigenetic (b=–0.17, p = 0.0001) and transcriptomic aging (b=–0.19, p < .0001), and a lower composite biological aging score (b=–0.18, p = 0.0002), suggesting potential benefits for systemic inflammation, molecular and overall biological aging. In contrast, vaccination was linked to higher adaptive immunity scores (b = 0.09, p = 0.0133), an unexpected finding warranting further investigation. Timing analyses indicated that epigenetic, transcriptomic and overall composite biological aging improvements were most pronounced within three years post-vaccination, with slower aging persisting beyond this window. The results support the hypothesis that shingles vaccination may influence key biological systems relevant to aging, though effects appear domain-specific and vary over time. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these patterns and explore implications for long-term health. This study adds to emerging evidence that vaccines could play a role in strategies to promote healthy aging by modulating biological systems beyond infection prevention.
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Sly Saint said:
Oh no, you've just reminded me I'm going to have to have a second one..........the first one was bloody awful.
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I've got my second one next week, I'm passed the 2-6 month period but apparently that's ok. I've also read that generally the second dose is worse than the first one. :nailbiting:
  • Dose 2: Higher frequency and intensity of pain, redness, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, fever, and chills
The second dose typically produces the peak reactogenicity for the series.
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Shingrix Second Dose Side Effects | What to Expect and How to Manage - HealthorSkin

Shingrix is a two-dose vaccine recommended for adults 50 years and older to prevent shingles, a painful rash caused by the reactivation of the
healthorskin.com healthorskin.com

eta: I've just been reading the guidelines and the 2-6 month is for severely immunosuppressed people.
www.gov.uk

Shingles immunisation programme: information for healthcare practitioners

www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
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News Release 17-Mar-2026

Shingles vaccine drastically cuts risk of serious cardiac events

Study suggests the vaccine’s heart-protective effects may be amplified in those with heart disease

The study analyzed over 246,822 U.S. adults with atherosclerotic heart disease, a condition caused by plaque buildup in arteries. Its findings add to mounting evidence that the shingles vaccine not only protects against shingles, but may also reduce the risk of other health issues such as heart problems and dementia.

“This vaccine has been found over and over again to have cardioprotective effects for reducing heart attack, stroke and death,” said Robert Nguyen, MD, a resident physician at the University of California, Riverside and the study’s lead author. “Looking at the highest risk population, those with existing cardiovascular disease, these protective effects might be even greater than among the general public.”
 
Age-Specific Risk of Herpes Zoster in Adults Aged ≥18 Years With Comorbid Conditions—A Retrospective Cohort Study in the United States

Abstract​

Background
Older (≥50 years of age [YoA]) and immunocompromised adults are at higher risk of herpes zoster (HZ). Those with comorbidities are also at increased risk, however, recent US evidence is lacking, especially among 18–49 YoA.
Methods
This US retrospective cohort study (2015–2022, Merative MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental) compared HZ incidence rates (IRs) in younger immunocompetent adults (18–49 YoA) with comorbidities (asthma, chronic kidney disease [CKD], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], depression, diabetes, stress, and trauma) versus immunocompetent adults 50–59 YoA without comorbidities. Adjusted HZ IR ratios (aIRRs) versus 50–59 YoA adults were compared using a predetermined 0.62 non-inferiority margin for the aIRR 95% confidence interval lower limit (95% CI LL). aIRRs were classified as comparable (aIRR 95% CI LL > 0.62 and ≤1.0), significantly higher (aIRR 95% CI LL > 1.0), or inconclusive (any other result). HZ case: diagnostic code B02.2x plus oral antiviral ±7 days. Sensitivity analyses investigated HZ IRs by number of comorbid conditions (1, 2, or ≥3).
Results
HZ IRs were significantly higher (aIRR 95% CI LL > 1.0) from 30 to 39 YoA (aIRR; 95% CI) in asthma (1.19; 1.10–1.29), COPD (1.31; 1.22–1.40), depression (1.31; 1.22–1.40), diabetes (1.18; 1.06–1.32), stress (1.28; 1.11–1.47), and trauma (1.25; 1.17–1.34) populations than immunocompetent 50–59 YoA and from 50 to 59 YoA in CKD (1.50; 1.28–1.77). In sensitivity analyses, HZ IR appeared to increase with more comorbid conditions and age.
Conclusions
The study found that younger adults (30+ YoA) with certain comorbidities have a higher HZ risk than immunocompetent 50–59 YoA adults.

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MeSci said:
This is from New England Journal of Medicine's Journal Watch.

https://blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obs...he-shingles-vaccine-answered-here/2019/10/14/

October 14th, 2019
Common Questions About the Shingles Vaccine — Answered Here!

Here’s an interesting email from my friend and ID-colleague Dr. Carlos Del Rio (shared with his permission):

Went Tuesday to see my PCP for a routine visit and had my second dose of Shingrix that day. I had gotten my first dose about 3 months ago and had severe chills and even a fever of 38.5 after the first dose. With the second dose the response was not as severe but did have chills and rigors for about 18 hrs. Stupid of me, but the next day I went to get my labs checked, and everything was fine except my HS-CRP which was 14.72 (nl < 10 and in the past I had been < 1.0).

Anyway…..Shingrix is a good vaccine but it is a tough one to take and really gives you a nice TNF storm!

The rest is at the link.
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Yes, been there and suffered that !.
Worse than a flue hit for me. Very sore body aches too (weird- wasnt expecting).
 
Mij said:
I highly recommend everyone getting the Shingrix which I will do when I'm able because it can come back in a different area.
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Im so sorry for you Mij… hopefully by now its not so miserable.
Even though I was hammered (or “stimulated”) by the Shingrix vaccine (and even though its eye-wateringly expensive, paid in NZ over $600 in total ,2 years ago), I saw the agony my Sister and a cousin went through and saved up for it (along with a randomn contribution from an elderly Aunt ,after moving to a new home).
I had read alot of commentary about Covid possibly stimulating more frequent episodes of Shingles.
Most likely thats rubbish but it made me consider Shingrix prob sooner than I otherwise would have.
( Id had various strange repeat issues with Chicken-pox , and ? - a Herpes Zosta ?-a weeping wound on my back ,from a tick bite, that took around 4 months to heal…that hurt alot, and I remembered it from my mid teen years).
 
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