NHS Lothian will contact you when you are eligible to be immunised, however, delivery of Covid and Flu vaccines are being prioritised. You can get the vaccine at any time of the year. If you have not been invited for a vaccine, and think you should have, please contact the NHS Lothian vaccination helpline on 0300 790 6296 or email them at: loth.covidvaccenquiries@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk (Please note, although the email address includes 'covid' this is for all vaccination enquiries at present).

• 50 years and over who are severely immunosuppressed 
• Vaccination of 65 and 70 year olds (defined by the patient’s age at 1 September 2023).
• Catch up programme for those aged 71–79 years of age who have not previously been vaccinated (defined by patient’s age at 1 September 2023).
• 18 years and over and have received a stem cell transplant. This includes adults recipients of allogeneic transplant, autologous transplant or a CAR-T or similar therapy.
• 50 years and over anticipating immunosuppressive therapy should be assessed for vaccine eligibility before starting treatment.

The shingles vaccine helps reduce your risk of developing shingles. If you do get shingles, it can reduce how serious the symptoms will be.

Even if you've already had shingles, you can still get it again. The vaccine will reduce your risk of getting shingles again.

Shingles is caused by a virus called 'varicella zoster', the same virus that causes chickenpox. When you recover from chickenpox most of this virus is destroyed, but some of the virus survives and lies inactive in your body’s nervous system.

The virus can then become active again later in life, when your immune system has been weakened by age, stress, illness or certain treatments that can reduce your immunity. The shingles vaccine helps to protect you by boosting your immunity.

To read more about shingles and symptoms, please click here. 

If you have any queries regarding the shingles vaccination, please call the NHS Lothian Vaccination line on: 0300 790 6296 or email them at: loth.covidvaccenquiries@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk (please note, despite the email address containing 'covid', this email is used for all vaccination enquiries in Lothian)