The shingles vaccine will be offered free to people aged 75 and over starting 1er May, the office of the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, announced on Sunday in a press release.
The vaccine aimed at preventing illness caused by reactivation of the chickenpox virus was already offered free of charge to people aged 80 and over. It will now be administered free of charge to those aged 75 and over at local points of service and in pharmacies.
According to the Ministry of Health, 27,000 cases of shingles are recorded in Quebec each year, as well as 600 hospitalizations and 10 deaths caused by the disease.
“Expanding access to the shingles vaccine is part of one of the priorities of the Health Plan, which is to do more prevention,” said Minister Dubé in a press release.
“Each process of expanding free eligibility for a vaccine is a step that we are taking in the right direction to ensure we have a population in perfect health, but also to reduce pressure on the health and care network. social services,” said the Minister responsible for Seniors, Sonia Bélanger.