Herpes Zoster (shingles) vaccination health technology assessment: Public consultation

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Consultation closes at 5pm on 30 April 2024

Herpes zoster, which is commonly known as shingles, affects approximately one in three people that have had chickenpox. Shingles is typically recognised by a painful blistering rash on the torso. While vaccines against herpes zoster are licensed and marketed in Ireland, these vaccines are not included in the Health Service Executive (HSE) national immunisation schedule. The Department of Health requested that HIQA complete a health technology assessment (HTA) to inform a decision on the addition of shingles vaccination to the adult immunisation schedule. A draft report describing the results of the assessment is being made available for public consultation prior to being finalised. 

The aim of this consultation exercise is to gain feedback from stakeholders with a broad range of experience that could potentially be affected by a herpes zoster vaccination programme. Input from all sectors of society is crucial in providing comprehensive, balanced and evidence-based information to aid decision making in our national health service.

Interested parties are asked to review the draft report and provide us with any comments or additional information they feel are pertinent to the assessment and to decision-making regarding the addition of herpes zoster vaccination to the adult immunisation schedule. The consultation period will last until 30 April 2024 at 5pm. 

The easiest way to give your feedback is to complete the online survey here.

Alternatively, you can complete a PDF or Word version of the consultation form available below, and e-mail the completed consultation form to consultation@hiqa.ie.

You can read the draft report and participate in the public consultation at www.hiqa.ie.

After the closing date, we will assess all feedback which will inform our final report. The final HTA report and the Statement of Outcomes (a summary of the feedback received and our responses to it) will be published on www.hiqa.ie.

Following this consultation, the report will be updated, as necessary, based on the feedback received. The report will then be provided as advice to the Minister for Health to inform a decision on whether or not to fund herpes zoster (shingles) vaccination. 

More details can be found in the following press release.

Online survey
Protocol