Key Summary
- GP practices will contact families to let them know when they are due for their vaccinations
- Children born on or after 1 January 2025 will be offered two doses of the MMRV vaccine at 12 months and 18 months
- Those born between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024 will be offered two doses at 18 months and 3 years, 4 months
Chickenpox has been included in the children's routine immunisation programme, and the NHS across the UK’s four home nations will administer the new combined vaccine.
The UK has been offering the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab since 1988, and following a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations, it is now being replaced by a combined MMRV vaccine, which includes chickenpox, also known as varicella.
GP practices from Friday (2) onwards will offer the new vaccine for children between 12 months and 18 months of age.
They will be contacting families to let them know when they are due for their vaccinations and can book their child for their appointment.
Chickenpox is a common infection in children that spreads easily.
Though it is usually mild, it can sometimes lead to serious complications that need hospitalisation, including chest infections and fits.
Research shows that chickenpox in childhood results in an estimated £24 million in lost income and productivity every year in the UK.
The new vaccine rollout is expected to eliminate this expense and save the NHS £15 million a year in costs for treating the disease.
The vaccine for chickenpox was previously available, but it had to be bought privately, priced at around £150.
The combined MMRV vaccine has been used for decades in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany.
Vaccine eligibility
Children born on or after 1 January 2025 will be offered two doses of the MMRV vaccine at 12 months and 18 months, while children born between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024 will be offered two doses at 18 months and 3 years, 4 months.
Children born between 1 September 2022 and 30 June 2024 will be offered one dose at 3 years 4 months, and the NHS is also planning a single-dose catch-up programme later in the year for older children born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine were previously offered to children at 12 months and at 3 years, 4 months of age but the second dose will be brought forward to 18 months for children born on or after 1 July 2024 to provide them with earlier protection.
A milestone: Streeting
Calling the MMRV rollout a "historic milestone", health secretary Wes Streeting said, “We are determined to give every child the best start in life. I urge all parents to take up this offer when their GP contacts them – vaccines save lives.”
He said the new vaccine will help families save both time and money, as they will no longer face lost income from taking time off work or having to fork out for private vaccinations.
UK Health Security Agency deputy director of immunisation Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam said, "With a vaccine now being introduced into the NHS Childhood Vaccination programme starting today, I hope parents will make it one of their new year resolutions to ensure their child takes up the offer, when invited. As the vaccine is a combined vaccine with MMR, your child will be protected against four serious diseases – measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox."
