What is chickenpox and who can get the vaccine?

You can already get the chickenpox vaccine privately in the UK, at a cost of up to £200.

But experts say adding the varicella vaccine to the official NHS childhood immunisation programme, external will dramatically reduce the number of people who catch chickenpox, leading to far fewer serious cases.

The vaccine doesn't guarantee lifetime immunity, but it does greatly reduce the risk of someone developing chickenpox or having a bad case.

Serious side effects, such as a severe allergic reaction, are very rare.

From January 2026, children will be automatically offered two doses at 12 and 18 months of age.

They will get the combined MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella.

It is a live vaccine which means it contains a weakened version of the chickenpox virus. As such, it is not recommended for those with a compromised immune system because of an illness like HIV or as a result of treatment such as chemotherapy.

The move will bring the UK into line with other countries which already offer routine varicella vaccination, including Germany, Canada, Australia and the US.

It had previously been thought that vaccinating children against chickenpox would cause a problematic rise in shingles, but a recent long-term study from the US disproved that theory.

The committee which advises the government on vaccinations - the JCVI - recommended that all children be given the MMRV in November 2023.

It also suggested that there should be a temporary catch-up programme for slightly older children who will just miss out. Details of this are expected in due course.

The decision to vaccinate against chickenpox was announced as new data revealed none of the main childhood vaccines in England reached the 95% uptake target in 2024/25.

Some 91.9% of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR vaccine, unchanged from 2023/24 and the lowest level since 2010/11, according to the UK Health Security Agency.