Shingles vaccine shows promise in reducing dementia risk, Australian experts weigh in

A new study has revealed that the shingles vaccine reduces the risk of new dementia diagnoses by 20% over seven years, offering promising evidence that vaccination could play a key role in preventing or delaying dementia.

But what do Australian experts have to say about this potential breakthrough?

Professor Tissa Wijerantne, Chair & Director of Neurology at RMIT University, called the findings “a landmark discovery in brain health and disease prevention.” He added, “It supports the emerging understanding that infections – especially neurotropic viruses like varicella-zoster – can contribute to long-term neurological decline.”

Drawing parallels to the ongoing challenges of post-COVID-19 Neurological Syndrome, which has seen many affected by brain fog, memory issues, and fatigue, Professor Wijerantne emphasised the importance of prevention. She said “These findings reinforce one of the most critical messages from our World Brain Day campaigns: prevention matters most.”

Dr Henry Brodaty, Scientia Professor of Ageing and Mental Health and Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales, noted that there has been evidence for some time suggesting that older adults who are vaccinated are less likely to develop dementia.

“This is the best evidence yet to show this,” he said. “Future research will determine whether the newer non-live virus, Shingrix will provide the same benefit and whether immunisation at younger ages may be just as effective.”

Dr Joseph Doyle, Professor of Infectious Diseases at Monash University and President of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases, offered a critical perspective on the study’s findings.

“The authors estimate there were fewer dementia diagnoses among people who received the live-attenuated shingles vaccine [Zostavax]. Importantly, we don’t know whether these findings apply to both the live-attenuated shingles vaccine (Zostavax) used in their study and the newer recombinant subunit shingles vaccine (Shingrix) now used widely in Australia,” stated Dr Doyle.

Professor Anthony Hannan, Group Head of the Epigenetics and Neural Plasticity Group at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, pointed out the need for deeper exploration.

“The next step is to work out exactly how this vaccine exerted its protective effects against dementia, and to use that information to develop new ways to prevent and treat dementia,” he said. “It also increases the likelihood that in future there may be specific vaccination programs whose primary aim is to prevent dementia.”

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