Free chickenpox catch-up jab for four to six-year-olds as figures show 3,000 hospital stays

Parents of children aged four to six are being urged to take up a free chickenpox vaccine from next week, as new figures show more than 3,000 children and young people in England were admitted to hospital with the illness last year.

The UK Health Security Agency's Varicella Annual Report 2025 covers the year before chickenpox protection became part of the routine NHS childhood vaccination programme.

The toll on young children

There were 3,037 hospital admissions for chickenpox among under-18s in England in 2025, and more than 15,000 GP consultations, based on monitoring of around a third of GP practices.

Children aged five and under bore the brunt, accounting for more than 70 per cent of clinical chickenpox reports to the agency's health protection teams. Babies under one had the highest hospitalisation rates. In a small sample of 439 nurseries and primary schools, 4,117 absences were recorded.

The agency says the report captures only a fraction of the true picture, because many parents manage mild cases at home without seeking medical advice.

Free protection

Since 1 January 2026, chickenpox protection has been part of the routine childhood schedule through a combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine. Children are offered two doses, at 12 months and 18 months.

A catch-up programme starts on 1 November and runs until 31 March 2028. A single dose of MMRV will be offered to children born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022 who have not already had chickenpox or two doses of chickenpox vaccine.

Babies under 12 months are not routinely vaccinated, because the vaccine does not always produce a strong response at that age. They rely on protection from older children being vaccinated.

"The good news"

Dr Gavin Dabrera, consultant epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, said: "Chickenpox might seem like a mild illness that children simply have to get through, but these figures reveal the true toll this nasty disease can inflict on children especially the very young, with thousands of hospital admissions and school absences every year.

"The good news is that children are now able to get protected against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella, through just two doses of the free NHS MMRV vaccine - given at 12 and 18 months."

Public Health Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: "We want every child to have the healthiest possible start in life, which is why we introduced the chickenpox vaccine into the routine childhood programme."

What parents should do

Parents of eligible children in Birmingham should get their child vaccinated as soon as they are invited by their GP practice. Anyone unsure whether their child is due can check their child's red book or contact their surgery.