‘Strong evidence’ of lowered dementia risk: the benefits of shingles vaccination

Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

One in three people in the US get shingles. Despite this, US vaccination rates remain low – about 35% of adults over 60, consistent with overall vaccination trends.

“We have a vaccine that works really well,” says Dr Andrew Wallach, ambulatory care chief medical officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. “But there is a lot of what I call vaccine fatigue right now.”