‘I want to do everything I can to head off dementia’: why demand for the shingles vaccine is soaring
Could a drug intended to prevent painful rashes also protect our brains as we get older? The signs are promising – but not conclusive. Yet that’s enough to be driving a boom in shingles jabs When Jenny, a 50-year-old marketing and branding professional from Cambridge, went for her shingles vaccine last year, an entirely different disease was on her mind. Having witnessed three of her four…
The demand for the shingles vaccine is soaring in Britain, driven in part by concerns over dementia. Jenny, a 50-year-old marketing professional from Cambridge, is among those seeking the vaccine, motivated by a personal desire to avoid the same dementia fate that befell her grandparents. While the vaccine is free for some on the NHS, most under-65s are paying around £450 for the full two doses.
The signs of a potential link between shingles prevention and brain health protection are promising, though not conclusively proven.
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