Shingles vaccination changes
From 1 September 2023, all newly eligible individuals will be offered 2 doses of the non-live shingles vaccine Shingrix instead of Zostavax. In addition, the eligibility for the severely immunosuppressed and immunocompetent cohorts will change to allow individuals to be protected at an earlier age.
Full details of the new regime and eligible cohorts are available in the July 2023 Vaccine Update and July 2023 letter to providers.
Practice teams may also wish to read the guidance for healthcare professionals and the vaccination guide for adults aged 70-79.
The changes are summarised in the chart below.
The two dose regime and the expanded cohort will have an impact on workload for practices and modelling is currently taking place at a London to look at what this will look like for practices. If you are experiencing any issues, please report these to your LMC or email info@lmc.org.uk.
HPV vaccination changes
From the 1st of September 2023, the HPV vaccine programme will change from a 2 dose to a one dose HPV vaccine schedule for eligible adolescents and men who have sex with men (MSM) aged less than 25 years.
Full details of the new regime and eligible cohorts are available in the June 2023 letter to providers.
Mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) push
Data analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that London is at risk of a measles outbreak. MMR coverage among 19-25 year old’s is thought to be low due to the false claims about the vaccine popularised in the early 1990s. The peak of the Covid pandemic and associated misinformation about vaccines is also thought to have affected uptake, with coverage of children under two years old falling to below 70% in London. There are no changes to MMR dosing or eligibility as with the above vaccines, but it is worth noting that the UKHSA and NHS England will be trying to encourage higher MMR uptake.