A vaccine for chickenpox will be added to the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland from January 2026.

The jab will be delivered as part of a new combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine. It will replace the current MMR vaccine and be offered to children at 12 and 18 months through GP practices.

Health officials estimate the programme will protect around 500,000 children every year.

Economic and Health Benefits

While chickenpox usually resolves within 1-2 weeks, it costs the UK an estimated £24 million in lost income and productivity each year. Parents often need to take time off work to care for affected children.

The rollout is also expected to save the NHS £15 million a year in treatment costs, according to a press release  issued by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended the vaccine in November 2023. It will be the first addition to the routine childhood programme since the MenB vaccine was included in 2015.

Expert Backing

“We now have extensive experience from a number of countries showing that the vaccine has a good safety record and is highly effective,” said Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of immunisation at the UKHSA. 

The chickenpox vaccine is already part of national programmes in countries such as Germany, Canada, and the US, where cases and hospitalisations have declined significantly.

Helen Bedford, professor of children’s health at University College London, said the UK is now “in line” with many other countries. “Research has shown that UK parents will welcome the vaccine and can be reassured that it is highly effective and has a good safety record, having been used in the USA for 30 years,” she told the Science Media Centre.

Chrissie Jones, professor of paediatric infectious diseases at the University of Southampton, added, “Providing this vaccine together with the MMR vaccine on the NHS reduces disparities. For the first time, all children will be able to access this vaccine whether or not their parents are able to pay for the vaccine privately.”

Currently, private vaccination for chickenpox costs around £150 for two doses.

The MMRV vaccine will be available on the NHS from 1 January 2026. Eligibility will depend on a child’s age at the start of the rollout.

Confirmation that the vaccine would be available in Northern Ireland was made by the Department of Health, and in Wales by the Welsh Government.

Vaccine Uptake Concerns

Today’s announcement comes as new UKHSA data showed that no childhood vaccine in England met the 95% uptake target in 2024-2025.

Nearly 1 in 5 (18.6%) children had not received their preschool booster. Uptake peaked at 86.3% in 2015-2016 but fell to 81.4% in 2024-2025, with coverage outside London at 85.0%.

First-dose MMR coverage at 24 months stood at 88.9% in 2024-2025, unchanged from the previous year but the lowest since 2009-2010. Among 5-year-olds, 91.9% had received one MMR dose, the lowest level since 2010-2011, while only 83.7% had received both doses. 

There was a slight rise in uptake of the 6-in-1 vaccine, with 92.8% of children having completed three doses by age 5. 

“Far too many children will not be fully protected and safe when starting school and are at risk of serious diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, that have in recent years caused outbreaks,” said Dr Mary Ramsay, the UKHSA’s director of immunisation. 

“Measles, being the most infectious disease, is the ‘canary in the coalmine’ and a wake-up call that urgent action is needed to stop the very real risk of other diseases re-emerging,” she warned.

Rob Hicks is a retired National Health Service doctor. A well-known TV and radio broadcaster, he has written several books and has regularly contributed to national newspapers, magazines, and online publications. He is based in the United Kingdom