Shingles rates fall off a cliff among some Americans as researchers reveal likely reason

Shingles rates have dropped sharply among younger U.S. adults, as the first generation eligible for routine childhood chickenpox vaccination is now in their late 20s.

That’s according to a major study led by Epic Research, which analyzed the electronic health records of more than 85 million adults.

The biggest drop was between people born from 1991 to 1995 and those born from 1996 to 2000.

FDA APPROVES FIRST-EVER MRNA FLU VACCINE FOR MILLIONS OF OLDER AMERICANS "Shingles is caused by a virus that is harbored in the peripheral nerves — varicella-zoster, the same virus that causes chickenpox — which can remain dormant and later reactivate, particularly during stress or other decreased immune responses, resulting in a shingles risk," Dr.

Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.

About 46 out of every 10,000 people in the older group were diagnosed with shingles, compared with just 17 out of every 10,000 in the younger group — a 62% decrease.

The study period was between January 2017 and June 2026, with the findings published on Oct.

2, 2026.

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About 182 out of every 10,000 people born between 1968 and 1975 were diagnosed with the condition, compared with just seven out of every 10,000 born between 2006 and 2008.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER "Shingles diagnoses rise steeply with age, but the newer signal is a sharp drop that begins with people who were eligible for the childhood chickenpox vaccine in the mid-1990s," study author Kersten Bartelt, a research clinician in Verona, Wisconsin, told Fox News Digital.

"This is the pattern we would expect if childhood chickenpox vaccination lowers the risk of developing shingles later in life." If the trend continues as vaccinated groups grow older , it would suggest that childhood chickenpox vaccination could offer a lasting benefit in reducing shingles, "which is something continued follow-up and research will clarify," Bartelt added.

Siegel agreed that this data aligns with previous research showing that by preventing the initial infection via the chickenpox vaccine ("or causing a very mild version of a live virus vaccine") the risk of shingles is significantly reduced.

He noted that the vaccine uses a weakened form of the virus , which is much less likely to reactivate later in life and cause shingles.