Concerns the window for accessing the shingles vaccine is too narrow

A survey - carried out on behalf of pharmaceutical company GSK - of 250 people aged 50 and over, shows cost is a key barrier to people to getting the jab.

Currently, the vaccine is free for a year after a person turns 65 - meaning those 66 and older have to pay.

Auckland University Associate Professor Helen Petousis-Harris says it's particularly the older crowd who need that access most.

She says shingles is more common with senior ages, especially in your 80s.