Shingles

Shingles is the reactivation of an infection of a nerve and the area of skin that it serves, resulting in clusters of painful, itchy, fluid-filled blisters. These blisters can burst and turn into sores that eventually crust over and heal. These blisters usually affect an area on one side of the body, most commonly the chest but sometimes also the head, face and eye.

Shingles is caused by the herpes varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Following chickenpox infection, the virus can lie dormant in the nervous tissue but may reappear following reactivation as shingles. It is possible to have shingles more than once.

Most people recover fully, but for some, the pain goes on for several months or even years – this is called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).

This is a particularly unpleasant condition with severe burning, throbbing or stabbing nerve pain. The vaccination reduces the risk of getting shingles and PHN. Even if you still get shingles, the symptoms may be much reduced.

Shingles vaccine

The Isle of Man shingles vaccination is now offered to:

Immunocompetent individuals who:

Have a date of birth 1 Sept 1953 to 31 Aug 1954 or 1 Sept 1958 to 31 Aug 1959
Have a date of birth 2 Sept 1943 to 31 Aug 1953

Severely immunosuppressed individuals from 1 September 2025 who:

Are aged 18 years and above, and meet the definition of severe immunosuppression in the Box in Chapter 28a. This includes individuals due to commence therapy. Note there is no upper age limit

Patients will be contacted by their GP practice when they become eligible. The programme is being implemented to vaccinate the most vulnerable first. Further information regarding additional cohorts of patients will follow as the programme advances.

What the shingles vaccine is for

Shingles is a common condition that causes a painful rash. It can sometimes lead to serious problems such as long-lasting pain, hearing loss or blindness.

You're more likely to get shingles, and it's more likely to cause serious problems, as you get older or if you have a severely weakened immune system.

The shingles vaccine helps:

Reduce your chances of getting shingles
Reduce your chances of getting serious problems if you do get shingles

You can get shingles more than once, so it's important to get vaccinated even if you've had shingles before.

How to get the shingles vaccine

Your GP surgery will contact you when you become eligible for the shingles vaccine. This will usually be by letter, text message, phone or email.

Sometimes you might be offered the vaccine during a GP appointment you're having for another reason.

Speak to your surgery if:

You think you're eligible for the shingles vaccine, but you've not been contacted
You did not have the vaccine when you were contacted and you're still under 80 (only people with a severely weakened immune system can get the vaccine after 80 years of age)
You've had the shingles vaccine before but you now have a severely weakened immune system – depending on the type of shingles vaccine you had, you may need another shingles vaccine
You're due to have your vaccine and you're feeling unwell – you may need to wait until you're feeling better before having the vaccine
You need to change your vaccination appointment

Your GP surgery can book or rearrange an appointment.

The leaflets and guidance documents below provide more detailed information on the shingles vaccination programme in the Isle of Man. Some documents have been adapted for local use by Public Health Isle of Man with kind permission from UK Health Security Agency.

For the public

Guidance

Shingles overview (NHS)
23 November 2024

Patient Information Leaflets

Shingrix: Patient Information Leaflet (PIL)
16 January 2024

For professionals

Updated December 2025

Shingles

Shingles vaccine

What the shingles vaccine is for

How to get the shingles vaccine

For the public

Guidance

Patient Information Leaflets

For professionals

Guidance

Green Book

Patient Group Directives (PGDs)