What if a shingles jab could also protect your brain?
The Shingrix vaccine has launched in South Africa, offering protection against shingles and potentially reducing the risk of dementia. Despite its health benefits, the high cost and low historical uptake of adult vaccines present significant barriers to widespread adoption.
Why it matters
The potential link between shingles vaccination and cognitive health could shift public perception of adult immunization, though economic accessibility remains a major hurdle.
This time last year, Melanie Verwoerd felt a pain like nothing she’d experienced before. A 20cm wide band of angry blisters, stretching across her back and under her arm to her stomach, kept the former MP and South African ambassador to Ireland out of action for months. “I’ve had many operations and a lot of pain in my life, but never something like that,” she says.
The article presents medical information and economic challenges neutrally without taking a political stance.
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