Luke O'Neill

In other words, you know, you're spending X on it, but you're saving Y, and the net benefit might be as high as that.

And it's hard to figure these things out.

And yet the Minister said, I think in the Dáil, that the cost-benefit analysis didn't justify it.

It's hard.

It's complicated enough, I must say, obviously, to tie that number down precisely.

They've got to get the price down.

I mean, GSK, they make the shingles vaccine, do a bit of negotiating.

You see, if you can get the price a bit lower, then it'll definitely be cost-effective.

Well, if you're selling more, you should be able to reduce the price.

That's the other thing, precisely.

And again, if the UK decided to do it, why can't we?

Why would our older people be less able to access something for free compared to the UK older people?

Now, you cite that population experience in Wales as kind of generally pointing the way that it does have an effect on reducing the likelihood of dementia.

But is there a scientific theory as to why it works?

That's why it's so good, Pat.

There's a plausible thing behind this as well, which is really important, okay?

Any kind of infection would increase your risk of dementia, interestingly, anyway, right?

There's some evidence when the virus re-erupts, because shingles is a re-eruption of the virus, it irritates the brain.

and therefore might begin to somehow promote the likelihood of dementia.

So we have kind of a plausible mechanism.