The epidemiological impact and effectiveness of herpes zoster vaccination among older and pharmacologically immunocompromised adults: a population-based observational study

Background

Australia used the live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine (ZVL, Zostavax®) for 70-79 year-old adults in its National Immunisation Program from 2016. In November 2023 this was replaced with the recombinant adjuvanted herpes zoster vaccine (RZV, Shingrix) and eligibility expanded to include adults ≥65 years old and immunocompromised adults ≥18 years. We aimed to assess the vaccine program impact and RZV effectiveness in eligible adults.