Health records of more than 280,000 older Welsh adults have been examined. From 1st September 2013, Welsh public health policy ruled, that folk born on or after 2nd September 1933, were eligible for a shot of the Zostavax vaccination to protect them from shingles. Older subjects missed out. This distinction generated a natural experiment. When the data was analysed, subjects receiving the vaccination, showed a 20% reduction in their risk of developing dementia. The Zostavax vaccination has now been largely discontinued. This finding provides the strongest evidence yet that this vaccine reduces dementia risk (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/02/study-finds-strongest-evidence-yet-that-shingles-vaccine-helps-cut-dementia-risk). This fortuitous finding doesn't, of course, suggest a clear mechanism for Zostavax's protective effect on dementia. The vaccine was designed to protect individuals from a recurrent viral infection inflaming nerve endings. Perhaps it has wider effects on the brain?
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