Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is seeking dedicated funding in upcoming budget negotiations to introduce a publicly funded shingles vaccination programme and maintain the state's infant Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunisation scheme.

According to reports, the proposed shingles vaccination rollout is expected to proceed on a phased basis, prioritising older cohorts and high-risk groups. Currently, the vaccine is not part of Ireland's national immunisation schedule or community drug schemes, requiring individuals to pay out-of-pocket costs typically ranging from €480 to €500 for the course.

The health minister is also pushing to secure ongoing financial backing for the infant RSV immunisation scheme. Public health data indicates the baby immunisation initiative led to a 75 per cent reduction in infant hospitalisations associated with RSV following its rollout.

However, officials do not expect a reduction in the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) threshold in the upcoming financial allocation. The DPS currently caps monthly spending on approved prescription medicines at €80 per household. Further lowering that cap is viewed by policy makers as a costly measure that would deliver limited overall impact compared to targeted immunisation programmes within current budgetary constraints.