• Dementia currently affects more than 57 million people worldwide, and numbers are projected to almost triple over the next 25 years.
• Many factors can increase a person’s risk of developing dementia, including age, genetics, vascular diseases and, according to newer research, some viral infections.
• One viral infection linked to an increased risk of dementia is shingles, caused when a dormant chicken pox virus reactivates in nerve cells.
• New research suggests that vaccination against shingles could reduce the risk of dementia by 20%.
• If these findings are verified, shingles vaccination could be a cost-effective way of slowing the rapid increase in dementia cases

Written by Katharine Lang on April 4, 2025 — Fact checked by Amanda Ward

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