Shingles Vaccination Programme: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-05 ============================================================ Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (FF), Carlow-Kilkenny I thank Senator Joe Conway. I thought his opening statement was absolutely excellent. I welcome the Senator's friends who are here today. I felt everybody who spoke on the motion was really passionate about it. I have a family member who had shingles and I have friends who had shingles. I saw what they went through. I realise how important this motion is. As previous speakers have said, we are not going to oppose the motion. I felt the opening statements were excellent. The Government has noted the motion. There was a meeting on Wednesday and I am pleased to say that the motion will not be opposed as the immunisation commitments outlined in our programme for Government broadly align with this motion we are debating today. This was spoken about on Wednesday. It is broadly aligned with what we have in the programme for Government. Vaccination is considered to be one of the most impactful public health interventions we have at our disposal, and it is an integral part of a modern and well-functioning health system. The Government is committed to continuing to implement the recommendations on the potential expansion of the national immunisation programme as set out in the programme for Government and in line with NIAC advice. In fulfilling this commitment I can confirm that the Department of Health is actively examining the potential to offer the shingles vaccine in the first instance to a cohort of immunocompromised individuals, with a view to a potential phasing of an additional group at a later time, in line with the advice of NIAC and mindful of the cost-effectiveness of the market price. I am representing the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, today. Unfortunately the Minister cannot be here but I am delighted to be here to address the Senators on this. I can confirm that the Government shares the Senators' concerns on the impact of shingles, especially on vulnerable people and cases of post-herpetic neuralgia, PHN, and the associated discomfort and pain as well as the added stress of requiring additional medical care. The probability of PHN increases with age, increasing from a one in ten chance in 50- to 59-year-olds to a one in five chance in those aged over 80. The risk of shingles and complications from shingles increase after the age of 50, which the Senator spoke on, and among individuals who are more vulnerable due to certain health conditions. I welcome this opportunity to update the House on the current status of shingles vaccinations in Ireland, and on the formal processes which underpin the delivery of the national immunisation programme today in Ireland. Our national immunisation programme is based on the advice of NIAC. The committee's recommendations are, in turn, based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland, international best practice in relation to immunisation, and evidence-based analysis and expert medical advice. NIAC submits its recommendations on immunisation matters to the Department of Health for consideration. Determination is subsequently made by the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, which will then take the form of a policy decision. In advance of any change in policy the Minister can request that HIQA carry out an evaluation of the impacts of potential policy changes. HIQA has a statutory remit under the Health Act 2007 to evaluate the clinical cost-effectiveness of health technologies and to provide independent advice to the Minister for Health on the budget impact, organisational and social aspects, and ethical and legal issues. These evaluations take the form of a health technology assessment. The HTA is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about a health technology in a systematic, unbiased and transparent manner. The use of the HTA facility assists decision-making in assessing the merits and potential shortcomings of a new health technology, policy or service based on accurate and reliable evidence. NIAC guidelines state that the shingles vaccine may be considered in those aged 65 years and older due to the greater burden and severity of the disease in this particular age group and in those aged 18 years and older at risk of shingles. Following a request from the Minister, HIQA published a health technology assessment in 2024 which found that including the shingles vaccine in the routine immunisation schedule at the vaccine price at that time for all adults aged 65 years, and others, would not be cost-effective and would have a substantial budgetary impact. In 2025 the Department requested the HSE, which retains full responsibility for the vaccine procurement process, to enter non-binding negotiations with the manufacturer of Shingrix to determine if the HSE could procure the vaccine at a cost-effective price. The HSE advise that the price quoted by the manufacturer was greatly in excess of the price noted by HIQA as a good use of healthcare resources in its 2024 HTA. It is important to note that as the Department is committed to exploring whether it is possible to offer the shingles vaccine to a cohort of immunocompromised individuals in the first instance in line with NIAC advice, the Chief Medical Officer has asked the HSE to conduct a new follow-on assessment of cost of delivery of a vaccine programme. This is being looked at now. It is hoped that it will be possible to implement a potential phasing-in approach of additional groups at a later time in line with NIAC advice and available funding. If the HSE can negotiate a more affordable price, it will be submitted in a costing to the Department, which will necessarily include other anticipated costs such as vaccine administration, training, ICT and communications. As we can all appreciate, it is important that the Department and the HSE adhere to value-for-money obligations set out by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, specific to efficient and effective use of public funds and resources. Furthermore, the Department of Health has recently written to HIQA asking it to conduct a scoping exercise to establish whether there is any relevant additional scientific information available after the 2024 HTA that may be pertinent to the review to inform the new matters. I will go back to the Minister on this for the Senator. Once this information is available the Minister for Health will make a decision in relation to the introduction of a targeted shingles vaccination programme. This would require seeking additional funding via the annual budget and Estimates process for 2027. I can confirm that the Government is supportive of the introduction of a targeted shingles vaccination programme for eligible people should the HSE be able to negotiate a price that is deemed to be a fitting and appropriate use of healthcare resources, which will ease the burden of shingles on most vulnerable people in our community. That is exactly where we are today. It is important to note that adding a shingles vaccination to the routine immunisation schedule for all adults aged 65 and over was not deemed to be an efficient use of resources, even after considering potential savings as a result of fewer people presenting to their GP or being admitted to hospital. This is what they were looking at. HIQA's health technology assessment found that the introduction of a shingles vaccine was not cost-effective based on the cost of the vaccine. It was determined to be cost-effective for the vaccination of those at age 75 years and 80 years. This is what came from that assessment. If the cost of the vaccine was reduced by 80%, the HTA further outlined the cost estimate of providing the vaccine to people turning 50, 60 and 70 years of age, respectively. I know this is all the Department, but I am trying to explain as best I can through the Department and the HSE. The HTA noted a decision to fund the shingles vaccine as part of the adult programme could have significant financial and logistical implications, depending on the population group for whom the vaccine is funded. It also found there was uncertainty surrounding the potential uptake of the vaccine given the wide range of uptake estimated for other vaccines in the adult immunisation programme and for shingles vaccine uptake internationally. In addition, the HTA advised that if a decision were made to fund the shingles vaccination, consideration would need to be given to defining priority groups. You would have to define the priority groups for vaccination in the event that demand exceeds supply. It is important to acknowledge that a decision on whether to introduce a specific immunisation programme must be based on many factors, including the burden of disease on individuals and health services, the clinical effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of the programme. As I stated earlier, the Department of Health is actively examining the possibility of offering the shingles vaccine to a cohort of immunocompromised individuals, with a view to a potential phasing in of additional groups at a later time, in line with NIAC advice and mindful of the cost effectiveness of market pricing. Ireland’s national immunisation programme is vitally important for protecting the health of the population and ensuring the effective functioning of the health system. It is notable that immunisation uptake rates are generally high across the various immunisations provided as part of the national programme. Many Senators spoke today on a particular example which relates to the influenza vaccination programme. I am pleased to note Ireland has one of the highest flu vaccine uptake rates for older adults in Europe. Uptake in those aged 65 years and older was nearly 75% in the 2024-25 influenza season, which aligns with the target set for this group by the World Health Organization. This contributes to the broad goal of safeguarding the health of the population through immunisation, which confers benefits to both individuals and the general public by way of herd immunity. Another notable example is the RSV infant immunisation pathfinder programme, which has achieved high uptake rates. Again, this season it has contributed significantly to the improvement of health outcomes over the winter period due to the resultant reduction in the circulation of RSV disease and hospital attendance for children. The considerable positive impact of our national immunisation programme is easily identifiable in this instance. It is critical, however, that high uptake rates are achieved in both the long established and the more recently introduced immunisation programmes, such as the flu vaccine for children, to ensure these life-saving interventions are as impactful as possible and represent the best return on investment for the health service. I wish to take this opportunity to put on the record of the House our thanks to all the healthcare professionals working tirelessly throughout the winter season. I extend our gratitude not only to those working in the hospitals ensuring those in need of quality healthcare get it, but also to those out in the community ensuring all those who are eligible to receive the free flu vaccine get the vaccine early, ensuring those who are most vulnerable to the effects of the flu are protected. Again, I thank Senator Conway for the opportunity to discuss this matter today. As I said, this is very important. Like him, I have known people who have had the shingles, so this is very important. The Senator and this House have my commitment to go back to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to explain the passion here today and the need for this vaccine. It is important for people, particularly older people, who have shingles. I will definitely go back to the Minister on that. The Senator was very passionate and I thank him. I am delighted to take this instead of the Minister. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-05/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:35+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-05