New chickenpox vaccination

You may have seen on the news this morning that from Jan 2026 a chickenpox vaccine will be offered to eligible children. Unfortunately we have had no official communication yet regarding this new service from NHS England. What we do understand is the following:

The vaccine will be given as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule – so from January 2026 it will be offered to children at 12 months and 18 months old.

The vaccine will change from a 3-in-1 MMR vaccine, to a 4-in-1 MMRV vaccine (V is for varicella – the chickenpox virus).

We await further details regarding precise eligibility and further information about slightly older children who may be offered a ‘catch-up’ vaccine.

The press release has advised that as with other childhood immunisations, parents will be contacted by us to arrange an appointment if their child is eligible.

Unfortunately this is all the information we currently have.

We will update you as we learn more.