Why the UK changed its policy on chickenpox – and what doctors need to know

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By Daniel Pye

For decades the UK decided against including chickenpox in routine childhood vaccine schedules, fearing that reduced exposure to the circulating virus would lead to a surge in shingles among adults. In light of new evidence, that policy is changing from January 2026.

Varicella vaccines have been around for nearly half a century. The first chickenpox vaccine was developed by Dr Michiaki Takahashi in the 1970s, with his home nation of Japan approving it for voluntary use from the 1980s. The United States put it on the routine childhood vaccination list in the 1990s.

For decades, while other countries introduced chickenpox (varicella) vaccines to their routine vaccination schedules, the UK chose not to, citing benefits to older adults of low-level exposure to the virus. Nor did many nearby nations including France, Portugal and the Netherlands, which still do not offer varicella as part of their routine childhood vaccination schedules.

Now, though, public health authorities have changed their tune. Chickenpox vaccines will be added to routine schedules starting in January 2026 after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) changed its cost-benefit analysis in light of decades of evidence from countries such as the US.