Malaga vaccinates against shingles without prior appointment

The Malaga-Guadalhorce Valley health district has made vaccination against shingles (Herpes Zoster) available without prior appointment at all health centres on 15 and 16 April. Those who would like to receive the vaccine can go to the district's health centres with their health cards between 9am and 7pm.

The aim is to increase coverage among the target population group (those born in 1959, 1960 and 1961), as the number of complications related to this virus increases after these ages.

This campaign, which uses social media, posters and text messages to reach the target population, complements the campaigns at all centres in the Malaga-Guadalhorce health district in February and other local campaigns, such as the one at the Alhaurín el Grande health centre in March.

Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus. In other words, in everyone who has had chickenpox, the virus remains dormant, but a variety of circumstances (age, weakened immune systems, etc.) can reactivate it and cause new lesions, potentially leading to serious complications. Currently, shingles can be prevented through vaccination in more than 97 per cent of cases.