Chickenpox vaccines for children on NHS starts across UK

All young children in the UK will now be offered protection against chickenpox on the NHS for the first time.

The vaccine will be combined with the existing MMR vaccine, administered at 12 and 18 months of age, which already helps protect against measles, mumps and rubella. Children up to six years of age can complete the doses if invited.

Experts say V’s new combination vaccine, called MMRV, which stands for varicella, is expected to reduce the thousands of families affected by the infection each year and prevent the most severe cases.

Until now, parents have had to pay up to £200 to buy vaccines privately to protect their children.

From January 1, the MMRV vaccine will be included in the standard list of child vaccines in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Scotland to announce this. Availability start date in early January.

Chickenpox is very common in young children. Its main feature is an itchy, spotty rash that forms blisters and then crusts over. It can be painful and cover the body from head to toe. Children often feel unwell for several days due to fever and muscle aches.

It also spreads easily. About 90% of children under the age of 10 get chickenpox at some point, and taking a week off from school or day care is quite common.

However, the deputy director of immunization at the UK Health Safety Agency, Dr. Gayatri Amirthalingam warns that this could turn into something more serious.

“For some babies, toddlers, and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospitalization, and in tragically rare cases, fatal,” he said.

Complications can include bacterial infection of the crusts and, much less commonly, brain swelling known as encephalitis, lung inflammation known as pneumonia, and stroke.

Young babies and adults are more likely to get a serious infection. Pregnant women are particularly at risk due to potential complications for both the mother and the unborn baby.

Maria Horton’s daughter, Beth, was just two and a half years old when she suffered a stroke in the weeks following her bout with chickenpox.

“He was tied up, his arm and leg were completely dangling, and then he started having seizures,” said Miss Horton, who lives in Plymouth.

Her mother said Beth has had to live with the consequences since that day, losing the use of her right hand, having difficulty speaking and living in pain.

“I know some people are hesitant about the vaccine, but if I had known years ago what I know now, I wouldn’t have hesitated to give it to him.

“As a mother, if you could go back in time and stop the disaster that was about to happen to them, you would definitely do it.

“And if I could prevent someone else from going through what Beth did, that would be great.”

NHS England’s national medical director, Dr. Claire Fuller said providing protection against chickenpox was a “hugely positive moment for children and their families”.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged all parents to take up the offer of the jab, describing the rollout as “a historic milestone in protecting the health of our children” from a disease that “sends thousands of people to hospital every year”.

The MMRV vaccine has been used safely for decades in other countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany, which have seen a decline in the number of people getting chickenpox and a decline in severe cases.

The part of the vaccine that protects against chickenpox has proven to be very effective (around 97% after two doses) and long-lasting.

The UK is lagging behind for a variety of reasons. There were concerns about the costs of a UK-wide vaccination program and a potential increase in cases of shingles as the chickenpox virus became reactivated in adulthood, but after many years of vaccination in the US this has not been identified as a problem.

Recent research also shows the extent of the impact of chickenpox on children and the NHS. NHS England says an estimated £24 million in income and productivity is lost each year in the UK due to childhood chickenpox. It also calculates that the vaccine rollout could save the NHS £15 million a year in treatment costs.

For all these reasons, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), which advises UK health departments, has recommended the vaccine be made available on the NHS in November 2023.

“Families will save both time and money; they will no longer face loss of income from taking time off from work or having to spend money on special vaccines,” Streeting said. he said.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said the rollout of a vaccine across the UK was “welcome news”.

Meanwhile, the Royal College of General Practitioners said all NHS childhood vaccines were safe and effective, adding that vaccines were “some of the most important health interventions parents can make for their children”.

Protection against chickenpox is offered by a new combination vaccine called MMRV, which will replace the current MMR vaccine. This combination vaccine helps protect against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox).

Children born after January 1, 2026 Two doses of MMRV vaccine will automatically be offered at 12 and 18 months.

A catch-up schedule will offer older children one or two doses, depending on their birth date:

• children born On or after January 1, 2025 Two doses will be given, one at 12 months and the other at 18 months.
• children born Between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024 Two doses will be given, one at 18 months and the other at 3 years and 4 months.
• children born Between September 1, 2022 and June 30, 2024 A single dose will be given in 3 years and 4 months
• children born Between January 1, 2020 and August 31, 2022 Single dose will be available in late 2026

Children who are six years old or older on the last day of 2025 will not be eligible for MMRV because they are likely to have had a chickenpox infection.

GP surgeries will contact families to arrange an appointment when vaccinations are due.