if you’re keen enough
by James Penha
to get the shingles vaccine—
you may stay that way
Shingles is a nasty inflammation that can strike those of us who had chicken pox. After suffering a bout of shingles, I decided last year to get vaccinated against it because the condition can recur. Apparently, this was a good decision in more ways than one since, according to a report in Science Daily, “A new analysis of a vaccination program in Wales found that the shingles vaccine appeared to lower new dementia diagnoses by 20%—more than any other known intervention.”
Further reading:
‘Study strengthens link between shingles vaccine and lower dementia risk’, 2025, Bai, N., Science Daily, available: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250402122149.htm
‘A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia’, 2025, Eyting, M., et al., Nature, available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08800-x
Author bio:
Expat New Yorker James Penha (he/him 🌈) has lived for the past three decades in Indonesia. Nominated for Pushcart Prizes in fiction and poetry, his work is widely published in journals and anthologies. His newest chapbook of poems, American Daguerreotypes, is available for Kindle. Penha edits TheNewVerse.News, an online journal of current-events poetry. You can find out more about James’ poetry on his website https://jamespenha.com and catch up with him on BlueSky @jamespenha.bsky.social