The National Institutes of Health is pleased to host the upcoming virtual workshop, “Zoster Vaccine and Dementia Risk Reduction: Evidence and Mechanisms,” on June 1–2, 2026. This workshop—which is jointly organized by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke—will bring together leading researchers to examine the growing body of evidence linking shingles (herpes zoster) vaccination to reduced dementia risk.
As the national prevalence of dementia continues to grow, it is more critical than ever to identify effective prevention and treatment strategies for the disease. Mounting evidence suggests that routine vaccination may lower risk of dementia. In particular, shingles (herpes zoster) vaccination has recently emerged as an intervention with the potential to reduce dementia risk:
- In an NIH-funded study published in Nature, investigators leveraged a natural experiment in which Welsh individuals born before September 2, 1933, were ineligible to receive the herpes zoster vaccine, whereas those born on or after that date were eligible to receive it. Results revealed that receiving the herpes zoster vaccine reduced the probability of a dementia diagnosis by 20% over a 7-year follow-up period.
- Another NIH-funded study of a Canadian natural experiment likewise showed that herpes zoster vaccination decreased the probability of receiving a dementia diagnosis.
- Further NIH-supported analyses have shown that herpes zoster vaccination significantly reduced both diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and deaths among patients living with dementia, suggesting that vaccination may hinder dementia progression across multiple phases of the clinical disease course.
- Additional research in a U.S.-based cohort showed that receiving two doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine was associated with a 51% reduction in dementia risk, with consistent effects across multiple age and racial/ethnic groups, as well as dementia subtypes, and regardless of a prior diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment.
These and other relevant findings provide a compelling rationale for the upcoming Zoster Vaccine and Dementia Risk Reduction: Evidence and Mechanisms workshop. The goal of the workshop is to identify research gaps and opportunities through review of:
- Epidemiological evidence
- Potential biological mechanisms (including the role of antigen vs. adjuvant)
- Datasets available for future studies
- Considerations for evaluating clinical efficacy
While the workshop will chiefly focus on zoster vaccination, the topics discussed will be informative to the study of vaccination and dementia risk reduction more broadly. The workshop will also cover pathophysiology and clinical trial design in Alzheimer’s disease in relation to these studies.
This virtual workshop will take place on June 1–2, 2026, from 10:00—5:00 pm ET each day. The agenda is now available to view. The event is open to the public, and registration is available through May 31. The workshop will also be streamed and archived on NIH Videocast. For any questions or to request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the event, please email Dr. Alynda Wood.
Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
Director, National Institute on Aging
Amy Bany Adams, Ph.D.
Acting Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke