Chickenpox vaccine: the NHS catch-up starting in November 2026

Until 2026 the UK did not routinely vaccinate children against chickenpox. That changed on 1 January 2026, when a combined vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, called MMRV, replaced the MMR vaccine in the routine childhood schedule. From November 2026 the NHS also offers a catch-up dose to slightly older children.

Why chickenpox is worth preventing

For most children chickenpox is a week of itchy spots and a few miserable days. It still means time off: children should stay away from nursery or school until every spot has scabbed over, usually about five days. And it can be dangerous for newborn babies, pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system, who can catch it from a child who has it.

Who has it as part of routine vaccinations

• Babies now have two doses of MMRV, at 12 months and 18 months.
• Children born on or after 1 September 2022 are offered one or two doses at their routine appointments, depending on their age. Your GP surgery will tell you which applies to your child.

The catch-up: who qualifies

Between November 2026 and March 2028, the NHS is offering a single catch-up dose to children who:

• were born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022, and
• have not had chickenpox, and have not had two doses of a chickenpox vaccine

This winter that is most children aged about 4 to 6. GP surgeries usually get in touch by letter, text, phone or email. If your child is in the age group and you have not heard anything, contact your surgery to book.

If your child has already had chickenpox

Then they do not need the catch-up dose. If you are not sure, they can still have it: UKHSA advises vaccinating anyway, and no blood test is needed first.

Children born before 2020, and adults

The NHS does not offer the chickenpox vaccine routinely to older children or adults. It gives it to people who have never had chickenpox and are in regular close contact with someone at high risk from it, such as the brother or sister of a child having cancer treatment, and recommends it for some healthcare workers.

Anyone else who has never had chickenpox can have the vaccine privately. It is two doses, usually 4 to 8 weeks apart. We give it from 12 months old at our private vaccination clinic in Brighton, after a short check that it is suitable.

Who should not have it

• pregnant women, and pregnancy should be avoided for a month after the last dose
• people with a weakened immune system, for example from chemotherapy or HIV
• anyone who has had a serious allergic reaction to an earlier dose or to an ingredient, including neomycin or gelatin

If your child has a high temperature on the day, wait until they are better.

Common questions

Does MMRV replace the MMR vaccine?

Yes, for children in the routine programme. It protects against the same three diseases as MMR, plus chickenpox.

Can my child have chickenpox and MMR vaccines on different days?

Yes, but if they are not given on the same day there should be a gap of 4 weeks between them.

Sources

• UKHSA: changes to the childhood vaccination schedule from January 2026
• NHS: MMRV vaccine
• UKHSA: MMRV vaccination information
• NHS: chickenpox vaccine
• NHS: chickenpox

Last checked against these sources on 22 October 2026.