Children in England, Wales to be offered free chickenpox vaccine
From January next year, all young children in England and Wales will be eligible for a free chickenpox vaccine through theNHS.
It will be given as two doses, at 12 and 18 months of age, combined with the existing MMR jab which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
A catch up campaign is planned for slightly older children so they don't miss out.
Until now, parents who wanted to protect their child against the chickenpox varicella virus, which causes red itchy spots, have usually had to pay up to £200 privately.
Ministers hope offering the vaccine free will not only protect youngsters from the severe, although rare, complications of chickenpox, but also save parents taking time off work to look after a sick child.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care, chickenpox causes an estimated £24m in lost income and productivity every year in the UK.
Health minister Stephen Kinnock said: "We're giving parents the power to protect their children.
"This vaccine puts children's health first and gives working families the support they deserve."
The announcement comes 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 UKHSA.
Chickenpox is generally mild but can be very severe for some people. Pregnant women are particularly at risk as it can cause complications for both the mother and her baby.
Very young infants and adults are also more likely to experience serious illness compared to children.
In rare cases it can cause a swelling of the brain, called encephalitis, an inflammation of the lungs, called pneumonitis, and stroke, which can result in hospitalisation and, in very rare cases, death.
Experts say vaccination will dramatically reduce the number of chickenpox cases overall, leading to far fewer of the more serious ones.
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