Free Chickenpox Vaccination Offered to Children Across England

The United Kingdom has recently announced that it will launch a chickenpox vaccination program in England, starting in January 2026, which will protect around half a million children each year.

On August 29, 2025, the UK stated 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, commented in a media release, "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 the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help to do exactly that."

"The vaccination programme forms part of the government's wider ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever as part of our Plan for Change - boosting the nation's health and ensuring the future sustainability of the NHS as we shift the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention."

From January 2026, GP practices will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, also known as chickenpox, as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule.

In the United States, chickenpox vaccination is generally available at clinics and pharmacies.