The National Shingles Vaccination Program was implemented from November 2016. This is the first major new vaccine program introduced for older Australians in more than a decade. The program provides free shingles vaccination, using Zostavax®, to adults aged 70 years, with a catch-up for those aged 71–79 years funded until 2021. The evaluation examined the implementation of the shingles vaccination program and also assessed vaccine coverage and safety data.

This study represents the first attempt to systematically audit the accuracy of AIR data at the national level since 2001. Of the 905 records included in the final analysis, 86% were assessed as accurate (truly overdue) and 14% as inaccurate (i.e. the child appeared overdue despite being actually up to date for the relevant antigen). The error rate ranged from 3% in Victoria to 29% in New South Wales.