The issue I am raising is the shingles vaccine. As the Minister of State knows, shingles causes quite a lot of difficulty for people who get it. Herpes zoster is the other name for it. It is very painful. It can affect people really badly, especially when they get it close to the eye. I have come across people who have suffered long-term damage to their eyes from getting it in that area and I am sure the Minister of State has too. Over 30% of people who get shingles develop nerve pain and can suffer that for quite a long period. Anyone who has suffered chicken pox is more likely to get shingles at some stage in their lives. There is a high risk for people over 50 years of age. There is a high risk for people who have had Covid infection and also where people have chronic respiratory problems. This is one area where a lot of work and moneys could be saved if there was a comprehensive vaccination programme, especially for people over 65. There is a recommendation there would be five vaccines for older people available. We currently have three. It was recommended that a vaccine be introduced for this medical condition, particularly for people over 65. I believe 13 countries around Europe have a vaccine in place. It varies from country to country but it shows there is a real benefit not only from a health point of view but from a financial one. A study carried out by the Office of Health Economics has shown that for every euro spent on providing a vaccine there is €23 saved. This is important. As I said, some people can suffer long-term damage and health problems. People will end up in hospital with complications and once a person ends up hospital there is a huge cost in real terms to the health service, whereas a vaccine could save a lot of the costs currently being incurred. It is about being proactive. The age group over 65 is increasing every year. The good point is people are living longer and the number aged over 65 has increased from over 600,000 ten or 12 years ago to more than 800,000 now. By 2030, we will have more than 1 million people over 65 years of age. People over 65 or even people over 50 are more prone to getting shingles. Now is the time for planning as regards the ageing population and putting in place a vaccine programme to deal with this issue.

Sentiment score: -0.05

I accept what the Minister of State said; obviously, there is an issue regarding the negotiated price for the medication. Surely, we must look at the long-term challenges with an increasing older population. As the Minister of State outlined, those in the older age group are more prone to getting shingles. The number of people having to go into hospital will increase, as will the number who require treatment. The cost to the HSE and health service will increase. Even if we started by only providing it to people over 70, that would at least be a start on the programme. We are going nowhere at present. People require support. There are long-term effects that people do not recover from. I am aware of several people who suffered long-term eye damage from shingles and cannot regain their previous vision. Their eyesight is not the same as it was previously as a result of the damage caused by shingles. We should give careful consideration to this matter and take it step by step. If we cannot afford to provide the vaccine to everyone over 65, we must at least start with some age group so we can then work back to include people aged 65 and, long term, down to 50. I ask the Department to give serious consideration to this matter to see how it can be progressed. There is a cost to the State. It is a substantial cost every year with hospital admissions and people having to attend their GPs, most of whom have medical cards and will have to attend more often if they contract the infection. I ask that careful consideration be given to the proposal.

Sentiment score: 0.08