Volunteers sought in Hampshire and Dorset for shingles vaccine trial

Alison Lambell, who has previously had shingles, says people need to take the painful illness seriously

Researchers want volunteers in Hampshire and Dorset to trial a shingles vaccine combined with a Covid-19 or flu vaccine.

One in three people will get shingles in their lifetime, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

It occurs when an old chickenpox infection is reactivated and causes a painful rash.

The NIHR is funding the work by a team from University Hospital Southampton.

The safety and immune responses of volunteers, aged 50 and over, who are given the combined jab, will be tested during the ZosterFluCOV study.

Alison Lambell, from Gosport, has previously had shingles and is taking part in the project.

"Getting shingles was absolutely awful," the 62-year-old said. "It didn't just affect me physically but mentally and emotionally and I just wanted to give up.

"It was so painful and I never knew a virus like that could be so horrible. I never want to go through that again."

She said she woke up one morning with a rash "right around one side of my body" that felt like "nettle stings".

Ms Lambell added: "After about an hour, it was like red hot needles burning into my body.

"Then, within another hour, it was like I was being stabbed continuously, over and over again."

Dr Chris Holroyd, consultant rheumatologist at University Hospital Southampton, said: "Older people are offered an ever-increasing number of vaccines to help prevent infection, and we are really keen to find ways to combine vaccines to make it easier for people to take up these offers and ensure the immune response is as strong as possible."

In the UK, a shingles vaccine is currently offered to people when they reach the age of 65 - and anyone over 50 with a severely weakened immune system. Flu and COVID-19 vaccines are also offered to people aged 65 and over.

If a shingles vaccine could be combined with a flu or Covid-19 vaccine, it would save making multiple trips to the GP, and may be more effective, said NIHR.

Symptoms of shingles include a tingling or painful feeling in an area of skin, a headache or feeling unwell, and a rash which may develop into itchy blisters.

Ms Lambell said: "We should be taking it [shingles] seriously, especially as you get older.

"Once you have shingles, it can recur, not once but frequently, and I don't want to go through that again."

The vaccine stops most people getting shingles but those that do get it, have a milder and shorter illness, said NIHR.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2240