Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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702. To ask the Minister for Health if the shingles vaccine will be made available to patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia via the medical card and drug payment scheme given that currently this cohort of patients can only avail of the vaccine privately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36429/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation.

NIAC continues to revise recommendations to allow for the introduction of new vaccines in Ireland and to keep abreast of changes in the patterns of disease. Therefore, the immunisation schedule will continue to be amended over time.

The shingles vaccine is not available through the medical card or drug payment scheme. Shingles vaccination is not currently provided as part of the national immunisation programme. Further information is available here:

It is open to any individual who is aged 50 years and older and who wishes to receive the vaccine to consult with their GP or pharmacist.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) recently carried out a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on the herpes zoster vaccine which protects against shingles. A HTA is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about a health technology. The information can cover a range of fields, including clinical effectiveness and safety, cost-effectiveness and budget impact, organisational and social aspects, and ethical and legal issues. The information is collected and presented in a systematic, unbiased and transparent manner.

HIQA published the HTA on 19 July 2024. The HTA found that adding the shingles vaccine to the schedule is not cost effective and is associated with a substantial budget impact. The Department has considered its findings and determined that the introduction of the vaccine can be reconsidered when cost effectiveness is more favourable.