Chickenpox vaccine to be rolled out on NHS for the first time
A vaccine that will protect children against chickenpox will be rolled out for the first time across the NHS.
Youngsters will now be offered the vaccine along with the MMR jab, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
Health experts welcomed the news, saying chickenpox can be “very serious” for some.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This is going to make a real difference for children and families right across our country, because while chickenpox can be irritable and difficult for children, it can also be extremely serious and occasionally even fatal.
“It’s going to make a real difference.
“It’s going to reach so many children, young people, keeping them healthy, making sure their parents don’t have to take weeks off work dealing with an irritable and unwell child.”
The rollout across the four nations of the UK comes after the combined MMRV jab was recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in 2023.
NHS England said hundreds of thousands of children will be eligible for the jab from Friday.
It said GPs will be contacting families to offer the MMRV vaccine as part of the routine childhood vaccination programme.
Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a common infection which spreads easily among young children.
It is usually mild but can lead to serious complications and in rare cases can be fatal.
Dr Claire Fuller, national medical director for NHS England, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for children and their families, providing protection against chickenpox for the first time and adding to the arsenal of routine vaccinations we give to children to safeguard them against serious illnesses.”
NHS England said children born on or after January 1 2025 will be offered two doses of the MMRV vaccine at 12 months and 18 months, while children born between July 1 2024 and December 31 2024 will be offered two doses at 18 months and three years and four months.
Children born between September 1 2022 and June 30 2024 will be offered one dose at three years and four months, and the NHS is also planning a single-dose catch-up programme later in the year for children born between January 1 2020 and August 31 2022.