Chickenpox vaccine linked to declining shingles rates in young adults

New research from Epic Research indicates that shingles cases are declining among younger adults, likely due to the widespread use of the chickenpox vaccine. The study analyzed electronic health data from more than 85 million patients in the United States between 2019 and 2026.

Data shows that individuals aged 34 and younger are less likely to develop shingles than previous generations. This is attributed to higher vaccination rates against the varicella zoster virus. For example, among 25- to 29-year-olds, shingles rates more than halved, dropping from approximately 7.5 to 7.7 per 10,000 people in 2019 to roughly 3.0 to 3.2 per 10,000 in 2026.

While the decline is a promising development, researchers noted that because shingles is typically rare in people under 50, further data is needed to determine if this protection will persist as this vaccinated generation ages.