Chickenpox vaccine to be offered on NHS next year, as part of routine MMR jab for babies

A vaccine against chickenpox will be rolled out on the NHS in England for the first time next year.

The varicella vaccination is currently only available through private treatment and costs around £150.

But under new plans, the jab will be included in a new NHS childhood immunisation programme - joining the current range against measles, mumps, and rubella.

In a statement, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said GPs will be able to offer the MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccination from January 2026.

What vaccines are children recommended to have and when?

It will be available for babies aged between 12 and 18 months old, and is expected to protect around 500,000 every year.

According to the NHS website, the vaccine provides around 98% protection in children and about 75% protection in adults after two doses.

Further booster doses are also not needed.

'It's not funny': Chickenpox spread to boy's brain in rare condition

Ari was six when he was admitted to hospital after becoming lethargic and struggling to walk and talk.

His chickenpox had become infected and spread to his brain as part of a rare condition.

"You don't even realise how dangerous it actually can be - his doctor turned around and said he was basically a one in 22,000," his mother told Sky News correspondent Mollie Malone.

"When I see people saying it's not dangerous, you need to have chickenpox parties, it's not funny.

"They don't realise how dangerous it can be, that it can kill your child."

She added: "He was very ill. It wasn't until after - when he had actually fully recovered - that he was told if he had gone [to hospital] the next day, he would have died. He was really lucky."

Asked about the vaccine, she said: "It should have been done years ago. If they can prevent it, they should do."

'Excellent news'

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, the UKHSA's deputy director of immunisation, called the wider rollout "excellent news".

She added it would help "prevent what is for most a nasty illness and for those who develop severe symptoms, it could be a life saver".

Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, also said it marked "a hugely positive moment for families".

She added: "We will work with vaccination teams and GP surgeries across the country to roll out the combined MMRV vaccine in the new year, helping to keep children healthy and prevent sickness from these highly contagious viruses."

Read more:
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Not one of main childhood vaccines in England reached uptake targets

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended back in 2023 that the varicella jab should be given to youngsters in two doses as babies.

It is also already part of the routine vaccine schedules in a number of countries, including Germany, Australia, Canada and the US.

The announcement comes after UKHSA figures showed none of the main childhood vaccines in England reached their uptake targets last year.

Some 91.9% of five-year-olds have received one dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine - a number unchanged from the previous year and at the lowest level since 2010/2011.

Just 83.7% of children aged five had received both MMR doses, down year-on-year from 83.9%, and the lowest level since 2009/10.

(c) Sky News 2025: Chickenpox vaccine to be offered on NHS next year, as part of routine MMR jab for babies