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.