A free chickenpox vaccination will offered for first time to children across England on the NHS from January the Government has announced
GP practises will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) – the clinical term for chickenpox – as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule.
It will mean kids miss fewer days in nursery and school while parents won’t need to take time off work to care for them. Research shows that chickenpox in childhood results in an estimated £24 million in lost income and productivity every year in the UK. The rollout will also save the NHS £15 million a year in costs for treating the common condition.
The chickenpox vaccine has been safely used for decades and is already part of the routine vaccine schedules in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany.
Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said:
We’re giving parents the power to protect their children from chickenpox and its serious complications, while keeping them in nursery or the classroom where they belong and preventing parents from scrambling for childcare or having to miss work.
This vaccine puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to give every child has the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help do exactly that.
Currently the jab is only available through private treatment, costing £150. But, from January, it will be given to children in two doses at 12 and 18 months with the existing MMR job in two doses.
