Chickenpox vaccine
We offer vaccination for individuals aged 9 months and older, including children and adults, to protect against chickenpox (varicella).
Additionally, receiving the vaccine within 3 days of exposure to someone with chickenpox may help prevent the disease or lessen its severity.
Cost: £75 per dose inclusive (i.e. there is no consultation fees); the full course requires two doses.
The chickenpox vaccine may be administered at the same time as, or at any time before or after, other vaccines.
However, if chickenpox and MMR vaccines are not administered on the same day, then a ONE-month minimum interval period should be observed. For more information, please see the section below on scheduling.
To schedule an appointment for the chickenpox vaccination in our clinic, please book a “Non-Travel Vaccination Appointment” here: 
To arrange a home visit, email your postcode to: info@hhpharmacy.co.uk
- Vaccinations are done at our clinic in London OR your home
- The minimum vaccination home visit fee is £80 per visit.
- To obtain a quotation for the home visit fee, please email the service required, your postcode and mobile number to info@hhpharmacy.co.uk
Disease Issues
What is chickenpox?
Chickenpox is an acute disease that predominantly occurs in childhood.
It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and is characterised by a vesicular rash, often with fever and malaise.
Up to 90% of susceptible contacts (e.g. non-immune household contacts) develop the disease.
How is chickenpox transmitted, and for how long is an infected person contagious?
Transmission occurs through personal contact or droplet spread, with an incubation period of 1–3 weeks (i.e., the time from infection to symptom appearance).
Chickenpox is infectious from 1–2 days before the rash appears until the vesicles are dry or have crusted over, typically about 5 days after the rash appears.
Year-round transmission occurs with seasonal peaks in spring/early summer.
How serious a disease is chickenpox?
Chickenpox is usually a self-limiting disease in healthy children.
Complications include:
- Bacterial skin infection, most common in young children.
- Lung involvement, is more common in adults.
- In pregnancy, severe maternal chickenpox and fetal varicella syndrome.
- In immunocompromised people, severe disseminated chickenpox with varicella pneumonia, encephalitis, hepatitis, and haemorrhagic complications.
Severe chickenpox in an 11-month-old child
NHS Chickenpox Vaccination Programme Update (Nov 2025)
From 1 January 2026, the NHS will introduce a chickenpox (varicella) vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation programme in England. This will be offered as a combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
Here’s a summary of who will be eligible and when:
Routine NHS Programme (from 1 January 2026):
- Children born on or after 1 January 2025: Will receive two doses of the MMRV vaccine. The first dose will be at 12 months and the second at 18 months.
- Children born between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024: Will receive two doses of the MMRV vaccine. The first dose will be at 18 months and the second at 3 years and 4 months. These children will have already had their first MMR jab at 12 months.
- Children born between 1 September 2022 and 30 June 2024: Will receive one dose of the MMRV vaccine at their 3 years and 4 months appointment, instead of the MMR jab.
Catch-up Programme:
A single-dose MMRV catch-up programme will run from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2028.
- This will be offered to children born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022.
- This is for children who have not yet had chickenpox or two doses of a varicella vaccine.
Children born on or before 31 December 2019 are NOT eligible for the MMRV vaccine through this new routine programme.
The success of the U.S. chickenpox vaccination programme
🧒 Groups eligible for only ONE NHS MMRV dose
(and would need a private dose if they want to complete the full two-dose course)
1️⃣ Children born between 1 September 2022 and 30 June 2024
- NHS offers: 1 dose of MMRV at 3 years 4 months (replacing the second MMR).
- They will not receive a second MMRV on the NHS.
- To complete a two-dose varicella course, they would need one private varicella dose (given at least 4 weeks apart).
2️⃣ Children born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022 (catch-up group)
- NHS offers: 1 catch-up dose of MMRV between 1 Nov 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 (if they haven’t had chickenpox or two varicella doses).
- They will not get a routine second NHS dose.
- To complete the full course, they would need one private varicella dose.
🚫 Groups NOT eligible at all under the NHS MMRV programme
Children born on or before 31 December 2019
- Not eligible for MMRV or varicella vaccine on the NHS (outside special circumstances, e.g. clinical risk).
- Can only access varicella vaccination privately.
Chickenpox vaccine
Is the combined 4 in 1 measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine available privately?
No, this combined vaccine is currently only available on the NHS. We can offer the exact same components as two separate vaccines for MMR and varicella.
How protective is the vaccine?
The chickenpox (varicella) vaccine has been available for use since 1995.
The chickenpox vaccine gives about 98% protection in children and about 75% protection in teenagers and adults against chickenpox infection.
For those who are vaccinated but still get chickenpox, the symptoms will generally be milder.
Available information suggests that chickenpox immunisation may reduce the risk of developing shingles later in life compared to those who had wild-type disease.
How long does vaccine protection last?
Protection after two doses of vaccine appears to be very long for most people immunised; however, it is not known if it is lifelong at this stage. Countries that have been using the vaccine for a long time have not identified a need for booster doses.
Can the chickenpox vaccine be used in post-exposure settings? How soon after exposure does the vaccine need to be administered?
Chickenpox secondary attack rate among household contacts is more than 70% in unvaccinated people and 15% in those with one-dose of the vaccine. In addition, the disease is more severe in secondary cases than in index case, with more number of lesion, higher fever and risk of pneumonia.
The chickenpox vaccine is authorised in the UK for use as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
When used as PEP for the prevention of chickenpox within 3 days of exposure, it is approximately 80% effective in preventing chickenpox; when PEP is administered beyond 3 days, it is approximately 50% effective.
Even if chickenpox is not prevented, its severity can be reduced. A second dose is also required to complete the course, which is administered approximately 6 weeks after the first dose.
Who is at risk of chickenpox?
Complications of chickenpox
Scheduling
This vaccine can be given to both adults and childern from the age of 9 months (used to be from 12 months of age prior to Sep 2017).
Children 9 months up to and including 12 years
2 doses should be given to ensure optimal protection against varicella.
– Children from 9 to 12 months of age
The 2nd dose should be given after a minimum interval of 3 months.
– Children from 12 months to 12 years of age
The 2nd dose should be given after an interval of at least 6 weeks but in no circumstances less than 4 weeks.
This vaccine should not be administered to children aged less than 9 months.
Adolescents and adults from 13 years of age and above
2 doses. It is preferable to administer the second dose at least 6 weeks after the first dose but in no circumstances less than 4 weeks.
The chickenpox vaccine may be administered at the same time as, or at any time before or after, other vaccines. However, if chickenpox and MMR vaccines are not administered on the same day, then a ONE month minimum interval period should be observed.
Where protection from either vaccine is required rapidly then the vaccines can be given at any interval and an additional dose of the vaccine given second should be considered.
Vaccine Safety
How safe is varicella vaccine?
Chickenpox vaccine contains live-weakened varicella-zoster virus. The vaccine has an excellent safety profile and is well-tolerated.
Approximately 20% of vaccine recipients will experience minor injection site complaints, including pain, swelling, or redness.
Fever following the varicella vaccine is uncommon.
For more information, refer to the chickenpox vaccine’s package leaflet, which contains information for the user.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Women who are pregnant should NOT receive the chickenpox vaccine, and pregnancy should be avoided for one month following the last dose.
Studies have shown that the vaccine virus is not transferred to the infant through breast milk, and therefore, breastfeeding women can be vaccinated if indicated.
Is there any concern when giving chickepox vaccine to a child who lives with a susceptible pregnant woman or an immunocompromised individual?
Chickenpox vaccination is recommended for healthy household contacts of pregnant women and individuals with immunosuppression. Although there may be a small risk of transmission of the chickenpox vaccine virus to household contacts, the risk is much greater that the susceptible child will be infected with wild-type chickenpox, which could present a more serious threat to household contacts.
If a person develops a rash after receiving the chickenpox vaccination, does he need to be isolated from susceptible people who are either pregnant or immunosuppressed?
Transmission of the chickenpox vaccine virus is rare. However, if a pregnant or immunosuppressed household contact of a vaccinated person is known to be susceptible to chickenpox, and if the vaccinee develops a rash 7 to 21 days after vaccination, it is prudent for them to avoid prolonged close contact with the susceptible person until the rash resolves.
