A shingles awareness campaign has been set up in the hopes that more people will get vaccinated.

The London campaign is called ‘Keep Well and Prevent Shingles’ and they are promoting the vaccination programme for people aged 70-73.

This comes after statistics showed that one in four people over the age of 70 will suffer from shingles.

The campaign was initiated as ‘Keep Well and Prevent Shingles’ believe that not enough members of the public are aware of the vaccination prevention programme.

London has a 48% vaccination rate compared to 58% for the rest of the country.

Shingles is a blistering rash that usually appears on the side of the face or body.

It is reported to be painful and can last for two to three weeks with symptoms including hearing loss, dizziness and eye infections that can endure for months or years.

Those with immune deficiency could suffer more extensive issues and the illness can be complicated by pneumonia.

However, shingles are rarely fatal and it doesn’t often lead to pneumonia or brain inflammation.

The Keep Well and Prevent Shingles Campaign was introduced by the Office of London Clinical Commissioning Groups who were backed by national health bodies.

Their ambition is to have more people have a one-time free dose vaccine to prevent shingles.

Dr Debbie Frost, the campaign’s Clinical Commissioning Lead, said: “The reason I’m passionate about the shingles immunisation is that anything that causes misery and disrupts the lives of our patients which can easily be prevented should be, and this is often the case with shingles.

“We bring our children to be vaccinated and take it very seriously, I wish we gave a similar priority to adults.”

The chances of getting shingles decrease by 50% if the shingles vaccine is injected. For those in the other 50% category who still end up with shingles, the rash should be less painful and milder.

The campaign began in June and will run until October. All London GPs and pharmacy leads have been sent a shingles vaccination support pack including letters and recalls for patients and patient leaflets.

A statement warned: “Thousands are missing out on the shingles prevention programme as one in four are set to get the virus in their lifetime.”

There is a #Shingles media campaign currently raising awareness for the programme.

You can visit the Twitter feed @myhealthlondon for more information.