Chicken pox vaccine: How and where to get children free jab as NHS rollout begins

Chicken pox is usually mild but it can cause serious complications including chest infections and fits

Young children will be offered a free chicken pox jab on the NHS as part of their routine childhood vaccinations for the first time.

It will be offered alongside the MMR jab, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella and become the MMRV jab.

Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is one of the most common childhood illnesses infecting about half of youngsters by the age of four and 90 per cent by the age of 10. But people of any age can get it.

Although it’s usually mild, the virus which causes an itchy rash, can lead to serious complications which need hospitalisation, including chest infections and fits.

Health experts have welcomed the new vaccine roll out and said the virus can be “very serious”. They also acknowledged the vaccine could help reduce the burden on families with many parents forced to take time off work to care for their children while they are sick.

The chicken pox vaccine will be offered alongside the MMR jab (stock image) (Getty/iStock)

“Many families have faced the threat of chickenpox, which can cause serious complications. The disease also brings significant worry and disruption, with children missing nursery or school and parents forced to stay home to look after them,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said.

"This new protection will give parents reassurance that their children are protected from a disease that sends thousands to hospital every year. Families will save both time and money - no longer facing lost income from taking time off work or having to fork out for private vaccinations,” he added.

Chickenpox in childhood results in an estimated £24 million in lost income and productivity every year in the UK and, alongside cutting this, the rollout is expected to save the NHS £15 million a year in costs for treating the common condition.

Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal.”

“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,” she added.

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “The NHS childhood vaccination programme has been one of the great successes of modern medicine, and we’re pleased to see it being expanded to protect children against chickenpox through what will now be the combined MMRV vaccine.”

What are the symptoms?

Chicken pox initially causes fever, muscle aches and pains before causing an itchy red rash a couple days later.

The spots fill up with fluid and become blisters which later scab over.

How can you catch it?

Chicken pox can spread simply by being in the same room as someone with it, or from touching things that have fluid from the blisters on them.

People can also catch chicken pox from someone who has shingles if you have not had chickenpox before. But you cannot catch shingles from someone who has chickenpox, the NHS explains.

Who can get the chicken pox vaccine and where?

The vaccine is already available privately for children aged 9 months to adults aged 65 who have not had chicken pox.

But it costs £75 per dose at private clinics and pharmacies.

However, now NHS England has said hundreds of thousands of children will be eligible for the jab from Friday.

Children born on or after January 1 2025 will be offered two doses of the MMRV vaccine at 12 months and 18 months, while children born between July 1 2024 and December 31 2024 will be offered two doses at 18 months and three years and four months.

Children born between September 1 2022 and June 30 2024 will be offered one dose at three years and four months.

The NHS is also planning a single-dose catch-up programme later in the year for children born between January 1 2020 and August 31 2022.

GPs will be contacting families to offer the MMRV vaccine as part of the routine childhood vaccination programme.