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Shingles vaccination linked to lower risk of heart attack
A new global systematic literature review and meta-analysis has shown that herpes zoster vaccination, used to prevent shingles, is associated with a statistically significant lower risk of heart attack and stroke. The study is the first global systematic literature
review and meta-analysis to comprehensively assess the evidence regarding an association between herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular events. The results were presented at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, Spain. Study author, Dr. Charles Williams, Global
Associate Medical Director, Global Medical Affairs – Vaccines at GSK, said: “We looked at the currently available evidence, and found that in this analysis, vaccination against herpes zoster was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events, such
as heart attacks or strokes. Further research studies are now needed to find out whether this association can be attributed to an effect of herpes zoster vaccination,” Dr. Williams continued. The study found that herpes zoster vaccination, with either the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (RZV) or the live attenuated zoster vaccine (ZVL), was associated with a statistically significant lower risk of stroke and heart attack compared to no herpes zoster vaccination, in both adults ≥18 years, and adults ≥50 years. The research found that vaccination against shingles, with either RZV or ZVL, was associated with an 18% and 16% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events in adults 18 and 50 years or older, respectively. In studies that reported on cardiovascular event absolute risk, the absolute rate difference ranged from 1.2 to 2.2 fewer events per 1,000 person-years. “While our findings are encouraging, there are some limitations to the available data that we studied,” Dr. Williams explained. “All the studies used in the meta-analysis aimed primarily to investigate the use of herpes zoster vaccine to prevent shingles in the general population, which may limit the ability to generalise this research to people with a higher risk of cardiovascular events. This demonstrates the need for more research in this area.” To view the full paper, visit: https://doi. org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf230
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Free chickenpox vaccination offered for first time to children
From January next year, GP practices will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) - the clinical term for chickenpox - as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule. Research shows that chickenpox in childhood
results in an estimated £24 million in lost income and productivity every year in the UK. The rollout will also save the NHS £15 million a year in costs for treating the common condition. The chickenpox vaccine has been safely used for decades and is already part of the routine vaccine schedules in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany. The vaccine will help reduce cases of
chickenpox and protect children from serious complications that can cause hospitalisation, such as bacterial infections like strep A, brain and lung inflammation, and stroke. Dr. Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director
of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal.”
Hepatitis B immunity lowers risk of developing diabetes
New research presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria and published in the journal Diagnostics shows that people with hepatitis B immunity induced by vaccination have a lower risk of developing diabetes of any kind. The study was undertaken by Dr. Nhu-Quynh Phan, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, with colleagues, under the supervision of Professor Chiehfeng Chen. The liver plays an important role in glucose metabolism, specfically maintaining the balance of glucose levels (glucose homeostasis) and it is thought HBV infection may affect liver functions and disrupt these metabolic pathways, increase the risk of abnormal blood sugar profiles and eventually increase the risk of developing diabetes. Thus, HBV vaccination, which provides immunity against HIV infection, may reduce this risk. However the role of HBV immunity in diabetes prevention among individuals without HBV infection
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I October 2025
is underexplored. In this new study, the authors evaluated whether HBV immunity reduces diabetes risk in individuals without HBV infection. The study included adults (≥18 years) with HbsAb blood serology results, a marker of hepatitis B immunity, excluding those with prior HBV infection. Participants were classified as HBV-immunised (HBsAb ≥10 mIU/mL) or HBV-unimmunised (HBsAb <10 mIU/mL). Because individuals with prior infection were excluded, HBsAb positivity was attributed to vaccination, whereas negativity indicated either non-vaccination or lack of immune response after vaccination. The study inlcuded 573,785 individuals in the
HBV-immunised group (HBsAb ≥ 10 mIU/mL) and 318,684 individuals in the HBV-unimmunised group (HBsAb < 10 mIU/mL). The authors found that the HBV-immunised group had a 15% lower diabetes risk than the HBV-unimmunised group. A dose- response effect was observed, with higher diabetes protection at higher hepatitis B antibody (HBsAb)
levels. HBsAb levels of 100 mIU/mL and above and 1000 mIU/mL and above were associated with 19% and 43% reductions in diabetes risk, respectively, compared with HBsAb lower than 10 mIU/mL. The diabetes protective effect was also
associated with age. Overall, immunised individuals aged 18 to 44 years, 45 to 64 years, and 65 years and older had 20%, 11%, and 12% lower diabetes risks, respectively, compared with unimmunised individuals. Regarding the effect of ageing, the authors comment: “The association between HBV immunity and reduced diabetes risk was stronger in younger individuals compared to middle-aged and older individuals. This finding may be attributed to the natural ageing of the immune system, also known as immunosenescence, which leads to diminished vaccine-induced immune responses in older adults.“ View the full paper at:
https://www.mdpi. com/2075-4418/15/13/1610
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