The National Health Service (NHS) in England will provide a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time as part of its standard childhood immunisation programme from January 2025.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that babies between 12 and 18 months will receive the varicella vaccine.
Officials predict that the rollout will save approximately half a million children per year.
The jab can currently be accessed only privately for an average fee £150. The vaccine will be combined with measles, mumps, and rubella to create the MMRV vaccine under the new plan.
Heath officials indicate that two doses given excellent protection around 98 percent in youngsters and 75 percent in adults and no additional boosters are needed.
Chickenpox is typically mild, but occasionally in more serious complications like bacterial infections, brain swelling or pneumonia.
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of immunisation at UKHSA, called the rollout “excellent news” which would save lives.
The National Health Service England’s national director for primary care, Amanda Doyle, added that the programme would be a “hugely positive moment for families.”
The move came on the back of guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which in 2023 advised inclusion in the routine vaccination programme.
Comparable programmes are already running in nations such as the United States (U.S.), Canada, Australia and Germany.