Experts call on Alberta to make shingles vaccine more easily accessible for seniors

Edmonton Journal

a day ago

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As Alberta's senior population continues to grow, experts are asking the province to lower the barrier to receive shingles vaccinations.
'It's a kick-you-while-you're-down disease,' said Anjli Acharya, a pharmacist who specializes in vaccines and immunizations.
Shingles is a viral infection that can cause painful rashes with blisters on an area of the body. It is caused by the same virus as the chicken pox, which can lie dormant inside anybody who contracted it in the past.
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The dormant virus can reactivate when someone's immune system becomes compromised due to age, stress, or illness.
'The shingles virus can reactivate because it is sitting on the nerve ending of any of us that have had chicken pox in the past,' Acharya said.
One in four people will likely contract the virus once they reach 50. By the age of 80, the risk increases to a one-in-two chance.
This inflammatory infection can also exacerbate conditions including diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease.
Shingles vaccinations like Shingrix help prevent complications that stem from contracting the virus. This includes post-hepatic neuralgia, a nerve condition that can occur following a shingles infection.
In Alberta, the vaccine is not covered for seniors.
Two doses of Shingrix in Alberta would cost $360 for the full series of treatment separated over six months.
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Acharya has never heard why the provincial government will not cover the vaccine, which is often a challenge for the subset of individuals who cannot afford it.
'From a socioeconomic perspective, a vaccine at this cost will often put individuals that have other determinants of health at higher risk,' she said. 'From a clinical perspective, I would really prefer that everyone have shingles vaccine coverage because those patients, who are more vulnerable, higher risk, have chronic disease, or are living on a fixed income are less likely to afford the shingles vaccine.'
President of CanAge, Laura Tamblyn Watts, said with increased costs of living and many seniors on fixed living, the cost of Shingrix is more than what people can afford.
'We know the single biggest deterrent for getting a vaccine like Shingrix is simply the cost,' Watts said.
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If the shingles vaccine becomes easily available in the province, Watts said this can prevent seniors from making trips to the hospital due to the virus.
Currently, it is estimated around 60 per cent of Alberta's senior population has not been inoculated.
'Across the country, we're having more older people, so even if that percentage stayed the same, the real number of people we have to treat with shingles is going to rise,' Watts said.
From working with seniors, community groups, and health-care organizations, Watts said the people need to convey their need for the vaccine to elected officials.
'It is important that you write to your local representative, and it's important that you tell the premier, that this is a priority,' she said.
The shingles vaccine is funded in Alberta for adults who are pre- or post-solid organ transplant or post-stem cell transplant, since they are at higher risk for complications.
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'Alberta Primary and Preventative Health Services considers several factors when determining vaccine funding, including a disease's epidemiology, vaccine effectiveness for specific age groups, cost, and the resources needed for an immunization program,' Maddison McKee of the office of the Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services.
While the vaccine is safe and effective, shingles itself is not highly contagious like measles or influenza, as it does not spread from person to person.
'Most provinces do not cover it at present; a few cover it for specific age groups or others. Instead, many jurisdictions focus on funding the vaccine for high-risk populations,' McKee said.
More information on the shingles vaccine can be found online by visiting www.albertahealthservices.ca.
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