Half of Irish people aged between 50-60 say they don’t know much about shingles, according to new research conducted to coincide with Shingles Awareness Week 2025, which is taking place from 24th February – 2nd March.
The Awareness Week is held globally annually, dedicated to addressing the lack of knowledge about the risks and severity of shingles, and encouraging informed conversations between adults, particularly if aged 50 and over, and their healthcare professionals about shingles.
Considering that over half (51%) of those surveyed also say that they feel younger than their age, a positive indicator of healthy ageing, this is a concern since 90% of adults carry the varicella zoster virus putting them at risk of shingles. As immune function declines with age this virus, which remains dormant in the nervous system, can reactivate causing shingles.
48% of respondents in the survey reported long-term health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic kidney disease. This may indicate that a large proportion of the population aged between 50 and 60 have a degree of immunocompromise, which could place them at increased risk of shingles.
Despite that, just 9% say they are very concerned about contracting shingles, with 45% saying they are a little bit concerned, and 37% saying they are not at all concerned.
Only 24% of those surveyed are very aware of age-related diseases and take proactive steps to limit their impact. In addition to age, pre-existing health conditions and ongoing medical treatment, stress and negative feelings such as loneliness and depression can further weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of developing shingles.
Over one quarter (28%) of Irish people are also not aware that you can develop shingles more than once and over four in ten (42%) did not know that blindness is a rare complication of shingles. Additionally, over four in ten (41%) incorrectly believe that shingles is contagious, while a quarter of people surveyed (25%) did not understand the link between chickenpox and shingles. 21% are also unaware that shingles can cause long-term nerve pain.4
One-in-three people who have had chickenpox are at risk of developing shingles in their lifetime. The disease, which typically presents as a rash, with painful blisters across the chest, abdomen or face, is often described as aching, burning, stabbing or shock-like. Following the shingles rash, a person can also experience post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a long-lasting nerve pain that can last weeks or months and occasionally persist for several years. PHN occurs in around 20% of all shingles cases, with the over-50s particularly at risk. 10-15% of shingles cases can affect the eye which in some cases can result in serious eye complications.
GSK Ireland, who commissioned the survey, is also running a shingles disease awareness campaign across radio and social media in March and early April, encouraging people to speak to a healthcare professional or visit understandingshingles.ie to learn more about shingles.
