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Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella virus and only appears in people who have had this disease before.PHOTO : Getty Images / Felix Fernandez Gonzalez

The Quebec government plans to spend $125 million to provide free vaccinations over the next five years once morest shingles, an infectious disease characterized by rashes and painful burning sensations on the skin. This announcement, contained in the budget tabled Tuesday by the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, is excellent news, according to Dr. Cécile Tremblay, microbiologist-infectiologist at the Hospital Center of the University of Montreal (CHUM). The latter explains that making the vaccine free will reduce the burden of the disease on the health system, without emptying the wallets of people who wanted to be vaccinated.

Dr. Tremblay mentions that even if the shingles vaccine was indeed recommended for people aged 50 and over and immunosuppressed adults, it was not affordable for the majority of these people. She adds that Shingrix, the vaccine recommended by the committee on immunization of Quebec, is 97% effective and generates few side effects.

Shingles affects 27,000 people each year in the province. Of this number, 600 must be hospitalized because of the disease.