9 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Presumably the medicare and/or private insurance costs you? so doesn't really cost you nothing.

a friend here around 50 just had shingles, didn't seem too bad at all, lucky i guess. I've had one jab already, second jab due in 3 weeks, about 5,500baht for each of two jabs

Well yes of course. Just as the "free" medical care in some nations costs them in taxes.

7 hours ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Two

You did well.

I had a one shot Shingles vaccine several years ago, I forgot the name but turns out it must have been the Zostavax vaccine.

 

Very recently, I had the two shot Shingrix vaccine.

 

So the study data was based on the Zostavax vaccine and the Shingrix is expected to yield similar benefits.

 

The text below clarifies:

 

 

AI Overview

Based on recent research published in 

The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences (January 2026), the study indicating a link between the shingles vaccine and slower biological aging primarily examined the older, live-attenuated vaccine known as Zostavax. 

Here are the key details regarding the findings:

·        Vaccine Studied: The research focused on data from participants who likely received Zostavax.

·        The Findings: Individuals who received the vaccine showed a slower pace of biological aging (specifically in epigenetic and transcriptomic aging) and lower systemic inflammation.

·        Comparison to Shingrix: While Zostavax was used in the analyzed data set, researchers noted that the newer, more effective recombinant vaccine, Shingrix (introduced in 2017), is expected to have similar or even more substantial benefits, though this requires further study.

·        Study Background: The study by the University of Southern California (USC) analyzed data from over 3,800 adults aged 70 and older, finding that these effects lasted four or more years after vaccination. 

While Shingrix is currently the standard of care due to its superior effectiveness (>90%) in preventing shingles, the study analyzed the older Zostavax, which was in wide use during the study's timeframe (2008–2018). 

 

A friend of mine here in Thailand got Shingles and strongly advised me to get the vaccine because of the pain he suffered with it. I checked with RAM hospital here in Chiang Mai, 6000baht per dose. I was heading back to Australia for a visit soon after so did some research and found as a pensioner I could get them free, which I did.

On 1/31/2026 at 2:03 PM, Hummin said:

After experience my own mother her last years now before ending up on a caring home, made me decide to get the vaccine. Cost me 15 000,- baht in Norway, anyone knows the price here?

It costs THB 6,000 per shot here, two shots required

On 1/31/2026 at 2:03 PM, Hummin said:

After experience my own mother her last years now before ending up on a caring home, made me decide to get the vaccine. Cost me 15 000,- baht in Norway, anyone knows the price here?

I paid 12,000 about a year ago in Chiang Mai.

On 1/31/2026 at 2:10 PM, Hummin said:

My wife's niece is a doctor and a couple of years ago she pestered me into having the vaccine. She bought the vaccine(Shingrix) and administered it, was 9,600 baht each time for the 2 shots, myself and my wife.

On 1/31/2026 at 8:09 PM, Lacessit said:

I had an aching arm for about 36 hours.

I went to my Doctor in Australia to get my flu vaccine and enquired about the shingles one . Like the flue It is free for over 65'S so I had the flue shot and had ot wait 3 weeks for the shingles which I did and no side effects at all . Anyone who knows someone who has had shingles should be enough to get the vaccine as it is a rotten disease

On 1/31/2026 at 10:24 PM, Hummin said:

We are not there yet!

And I'm not a pensioner yet either.

Anyone one over 65 gets the Shingles vaccine free in Austraia a pension is not a requirement.

On 1/31/2026 at 8:10 PM, connda said:

Do Your Own Research

Please define research. Google it and look at the results? 555 AI has been found to get a lot of it's medical info from YouTube and routinely provides incorrect info.

Oh, and the RSV vaccine shows similar characteristics regarding dementia as the shingles vaccine. And it's cumulative, so if you get both it is more than if you had taken just one. I'll let you do the research.

In Chaiyaphum, 10000THB for two shots eight weeks apart. Private hospital. Side effects not significant, lasted two days.

You can't get Shingles if you never had chickenpox. Therefore the vaccine would be useless.Did you ever have chickenpox?

On 1/31/2026 at 8:55 PM, nick supreme said:

Your arm may feel as if it has been struck by a baseball bat, and you could feel fatigued the next day.

I reside in Sydney. Recently I had the two shingles vaccinations and I only suffered slight soreness in my upper arm for the remainder of the day after the injection, no other side-effects whatsoever

The shingles vaccine is very important even without this benefit as, from first hand experience I can tell you that shingles and it's after effects are very unpleasant, and more recent research shows that shingles increases your risk of heart attack by 30%. Sorry I can't provide a link but I'm sure meta can find it for you.

1 hour ago, gargamon said:

Please define research. Google it and look at the results? 555 AI has been found to get a lot of it's medical info from YouTube and routinely provides incorrect info.

Oh, and the RSV vaccine shows similar characteristics regarding dementia as the shingles vaccine. And it's cumulative, so if you get both it is more than if you had taken just one. I'll let you do the research.

I would not trust AI to provide accurate information on any subject and especialy not medical issues.

On 1/31/2026 at 3:20 AM, geisha said:

Are there any after effects of the vaccine. As I had a cold, my pharmacy advised me to have it when better as it can make you very tired for a day or two. Im wondering as I’ll be traveling soon.

It didn't bother me at all, but apparently it's fairly common to feel ill the next day or two as the immune system reacts to it.

3 hours ago, Jabberwocky said:

You can't get Shingles if you never had chickenpox. Therefore the vaccine would be useless.Did you ever have chickenpox?

Technically true, but there's a couple of caveats. It is estimated about 4-5% of people have chickenpox without even realizing it.

You can't catch shingles from someone who is infected. However,contact with blister fluid typical of shingles may result in chickenpox, which then puts the newly-infected person at risk of shingles.

On 1/31/2026 at 7:10 PM, connda said:

Really - if you want the Shingles vaccine, then get the shingles vaccine. But I've read the research. Using relative efficacy (Relative Risk Reduction) that vaccine looks brilliant. RRR at 90%. Look at the absolute efficacy (Absolute Risk Reduction) and I'm personally not sold on it. My research indicated that ARR is as low a 3 people per 1000 who would not get shingles as compared to a placebo. ARR ranges from 0.27 to 3.3 from my own reading. If ARR was 90, I'd go out and get the vaccine tomorrow. But between 0.27 and 3.3? I just don't see the benefit. Btw. Women and people with family history of shingles are at the highest risk. I'm not a woman and no one in my family has ever had shingles. Do I trust the research on decreasing dementia. Not particularly.

I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. Informed Consent means - Do Your Own Research - obtain your own facts, make the choice that is right for you. If YOU believe that the vaccine is 90% effective AND keeps you from getting dementia - please! Go get the shot.

I'm assuming you have read the research pertaining to one AI bot. There are 5 major players, and quite a few others.

The problems with AI is different answers from different AI bots. The answer one gets depends on how the question is couched.

AI can be wrong. I have proved it to be so multiple times.

Anti-vaxxers want a vaccine with 100% efficacy, and no side effects. They may as well demand to win the lottery every Saturday night.

When I asked Gemini AI for a comparison of vaccinated vs unvaccinated results for shingles, this is what I got:

Risk Comparison Table

Population Group	Estimated Risk of Developing Shingles	Severity of Case (if it occurs)
Unvaccinated	~33% (1 in 3 people) will get it in their lifetime.	High risk of severe pain and long-term nerve damage.
Vaccinated (2 doses)	~3% to 5% risk (over a 7-10 year period).	Usually mild; significantly lower risk of complications.

Given the anecdotal evidence of how painful shingles can be, IMO anyone rejecting vaccination because they don't believe they can get shingles needs their head read.

On 2/2/2026 at 1:07 PM, Lacessit said:

Technically true, but there's a couple of caveats.

Ok, than do the math. It is rather unlikely to have overlooked your chickenpox. The question than is: Did you get the chickenpox vaccine? If so, your shingles will rather be mild.

About 30 percent of the population will get shingles, of those about 15 percent develop long term pain. That is 5 percent of the population. The equivalent of those who never had the chickenpox vaccine.

Interestingly, Shingles has not dropped significantly enough since the introduction of Shingrix in 2017. Vaccination rates increase but infection and side effects do, too, worldwide.

13 minutes ago, Jabberwocky said:

Ok, than do the math. It is rather unlikely to have overlooked your chickenpox. The question than is: Did you get the chickenpox vaccine? If so, your shingles will rather be mild.

About 30 percent of the population will get shingles, of those about 15 percent develop long term pain. That is 5 percent of the population. The equivalent of those who never had the chickenpox vaccine.

Interestingly, Shingles has not dropped significantly enough since the introduction of Shingrix in 2017. Vaccination rates increase but infection and side effects do, too, worldwide.

i can't remember if I had chickenpox, I doubt there's many people my age who can. I can remember having whooping cough, because it was so painful.

Even in the most aware countries, the unvaccinated still outweigh the vaccinated. Part of that is cost, it's expensive. The second is demographics-white people in the USA are twice as likely to be vaccinated than blacks or Hispanics.

On 1/31/2026 at 4:20 PM, geisha said:

Are there any after effects of the vaccine. As I had a cold, my pharmacy advised me to have it when better as it can make you very tired for a day or two. Im wondering as I’ll be traveling soon.

In my case some light flue-like symtoms lasting no more than a day. Arm was ok, nothing comparable to Bexsero.

I'm all in favour of preventing shingles, however I am in no hurry to believe any hype about expensive vaccines (or drugs) being a panacea for other unrelated illnesses.

52 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Even in the most aware countries, the unvaccinated still outweigh the vaccinated.

That's not the reason. In Australia it's free since November 23 for over 65 years old. Millions of doses were given. But what is the trend: Overall no decrease, rather increase, even 11-fold after 1st vaccination! Then they claim the second dose is giving protection while every immunologist knows that you acquire protection after having been sick because your T-cells remember. Something is wrong here, esp. because more and more younger people get it.

3 hours ago, Jabberwocky said:

That's not the reason. In Australia it's free since November 23 for over 65 years old. Millions of doses were given. But what is the trend: Overall no decrease, rather increase, even 11-fold after 1st vaccination! Then they claim the second dose is giving protection while every immunologist knows that you acquire protection after having been sick because your T-cells remember. Something is wrong here, esp. because more and more younger people get it.

The unvaccinated can get shingles more than once. 5% of people have recurrences.

Shingles vaccine is not given out willy-nilly, it's targeted to people over 65. Even then, 55% of Australians in said age cohort are still unvaccinated.

Viruses mutate, it's in their job description. Maybe what we are witnessing with more cases in younger people is a result of mutation in the shingles virus, or its chickenpox precursor.

Alternatively, exposure to environmental contaminants such as microplastics are weakening the immune systems of humans.

The response to your 11 fold claim is as follows:

The Facts vs. The Claim

Here is the breakdown of what the study actually found versus how it's being framed online:

The Poster's Claim	What the Science Actually Says
"Shingles cases increase 11-fold."	There is an 11-fold increase in doctor visits for shingles-like symptoms only during a very narrow window (the first 21 days) after the first dose.
"The vaccine causes shingles."	The cases were mild and did not lead to hospitalizations. Researchers believe the vaccine's powerful immune booster may "disturb" the dormant virus briefly before the immune system fully locks it down.
"The vaccine is dangerous."	After the second dose, the risk of shingles drops by 73% (and up to 97% in clinical trials). The long-term protection far outweighs the 3-week "glitch" period. If you do not wish to be vaccinated, I am not twisting your arm. However, don't come whining to me if you are in agony because of your own decisions.

5 hours ago, Lacessit said:

i can't remember if I had chickenpox, I doubt there's many people my age who can

I remember chicken pox vividly, not something you forget

6 hours ago, Lacessit said:

i can't remember if I had chickenpox, I doubt there's many people my age who can.

I couldn't remember either, so I had a blood test to check, and it came back positive. It's cheaper to test rather than perhaps taking the vaccine unnecessarily in many countries if you don't need to.

At the time, the vaccine in Australia was $300+ x2. It's now free in Australia for everyone aged over 65.

32 minutes ago, VR333 said:

I couldn't remember either, so I had a blood test to check, and it came back positive. It's cheaper to test rather than perhaps taking the vaccine unnecessarily in many countries if you don't need to.

At the time, the vaccine in Australia was $300+ x2. It's now free in Australia for everyone aged over 65.

Mass vaccination for chickenpox did not take off until 1995. Therefore, anyone older than 30 had a 90-95% chance of acquiring the VZV virus, which leads to a risk of shingles. In those days, it was just a rite of passage.

Good suggestion about the blood test, although a little too late for me.

On 2/2/2026 at 9:51 AM, Jabberwocky said:

You can't get Shingles if you never had chickenpox. Therefore the vaccine would be useless.Did you ever have chickenpox?

Obviously you are referring to the shingles vaccine.

For those that haven't had Chickenpox it should only be a question of a different vaccine, Varicella.