Objective To examine the vaccination status of herpes zoster vaccine (HZV) and adverse events following immunization (AEFIs), thus providing evidence for the vaccination of HZV.

Methods Two sets of data relevant to HZV vaccination in Pudong New Area of Shanghai from August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2024 were collected for statistical analysis, including information on HZV vaccination from the Pudong Immunization Program Integrated Management Cloud Platform and on AEFIs registered in the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention.

Results During the study period, 37 103 doses of HZV were totally vaccinated and 1 107 AEFIs were registered, with a reported AEFI incidence of 298.36/10 000 doses, 99.73% of which were common adverse reactions. The reported AEFI incidence of recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) was 315.56/10 000 doses, which was higher than that (27.11/10 000 doses) of zoster vaccine live (ZVL). Among the receivers of RZV, females had higher reported AEFI incidence than males (348.58/10 000 doses vs. 254.05 /10 000 doses; χ² = 23.412, P < 0.001). The individuals of 50–59 years old had higher reported AEFI incidence than those of 60–69 years old and 70 years old (342.86 /10 000 doses vs. 304.07 /10 000 doses and 259.53 /10 000 doses, respectively; χ² = 9.574, P = 0.008). In addition, the reported AEFI incidence of the first dose was higher than that of the second dose (483.26/10 000 doses vs. 123.25/10 000 doses; χ² = 369.000, P < 0.001).

Conclusions The reported HZV-related AEFIs were mainly common adverse reactions in Pudong New area, with no serious adverse reaction reported, which suggest good safety of HZV.