Britain's high street chemists have seen a rise in demand for the shingles vaccine, with some of this increase attributed to people concerned about dementia. Bookings for shingles vaccination services at Boots have more than doubled in the past year, following a 30% rise the year before. Superdrug has also reported a 41% increase in bookings year-on-year.
This trend follows several studies indicating a potential, though not yet proven, link between shingles vaccination and protection against dementia. Scientists have reported risk reductions of up to 20%, with stronger effects observed in women. The vaccine is not officially approved for any condition other than shingles.
While the shingles vaccine is available free to some individuals through the NHS, most people under 65 pay around £450 for the full two doses. The vaccine works by preventing shingles, a painful rash caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, which some researchers suspect may contribute to dementia by driving inflammation and nerve cell stress in the brain.