[Interpretation of WHO position paper on herpes zoster vaccines (2025 edition)]

WHO published the WHO position paper on herpes zoster vaccines-July 2025 (hereinafter referred to as the position paper). This position paper was led by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) of the WHO. In March 2025, SAGE convened a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Eleven working groups from different fields of expertise participated in drafting the paper, with core members coming from China, France, Australia and the United States. The position paper recommends for the first time that countries where herpes zoster (HZ) is a significant public health problem incorporate zoster vaccination for older adults into their immunization programs, prioritizing recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV). Compared with the 2014 version, this version of the position paper provides the relevant data of RZV, and puts forward guiding opinions on target populations, immunization schedules, booster vaccinations, combined vaccinations, economic evaluations, HZ monitoring and future research directions. This paper analyzes the position paper's implications for HZ control and prevention in China: (1) clarifying target populations and vaccination strategies; (2) accelerating the research and development of HZ vaccines along multiple technical routes; (3) optimizing the adult vaccination service system; (4) strengthen HZ monitoring and post-marketing evaluation of vaccines; (5) strengthening the training of professionals and public health education; (6) promoting multi-departmental collaboration and policy support.