A vaccine which protects against chickenpox is to be rolled out across the NHS for the first time.
It is being rolled out across the UK as part of the NHS childhood immunisation programme and will be offered alongside the MMR jab, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
The combined jab, known as MMRV, was recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in 2023.
NHS to roll out first chickenpox vaccine across the UK
Wes Streeting, Health Secretary, said: "This is going to make a real difference for children and families right across our country, because while chickenpox can be irritable and difficult for children, it can also be extremely serious and occasionally even fatal.
"The great thing about this new vaccine is that it combines the vaccine for chickenpox with MMR, which means that families can access this jab for their children, aged between 12 and 18 months.
"It’s going to make a real difference.
"It’s going to reach so many children, young people, keeping them healthy, making sure their parents don’t have to take weeks off work dealing with an irritable and unwell child."
Chickenpox, or varicella, is a highly contagious virus that is usually mild but can sometimes cause serious complications. In rare cases, it can be fatal.
Health authorities say the new vaccine will help reduce pressure on families, with many parents currently needing to take time off work to care for sick children.
Dr Claire Fuller, national medical director for NHS England, said: "This is a hugely positive moment for children and their families, providing protection against chickenpox for the first time and adding to the arsenal of routine vaccinations we give to children to safeguard them against serious illnesses.
"From now, the combined vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox will be available at children’s routine vaccination appointments to keep children healthier and prevent sickness from these highly contagious viruses.
"The new vaccine will also help the health service move its focus from sickness to prevention, and keep more children safe and in school."
The vaccine is also expected to save the health service £15 million a year in costs for treating the condition, NHS England said, and around £24 million is lost in income and productivity in the UK every year as parents take time to care for their children, estimates suggest.
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Children born on or after January 1, 2025, will be offered two doses of the MMRV vaccine at 12 months and 18 months, while children born between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024, will be offered two doses at 18 months and three years and four months.
Children born between September 1 2022 and June 30 2024, will be offered one dose at three years and four months, and the NHS is also planning a single-dose catch-up programme later in the year for children born between January 1, 2020 and August 31, 2022.
The MMRV vaccine is already part of routine childhood immunisation schedules in a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany.
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