Chickenpox: Vaccination

The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England to promote vaccine uptake by providing diverse delivery methods to make getting vaccinated easier, increasing outreach efforts to under-served groups, and raising awareness of the dangers of vaccine-preventable diseases.

The launch of the chickenpox vaccination programme in January 2026 will see a press campaign with UKHSA and NHS England working together to inform and educate the public on the benefits of vaccination. This will continue throughout the year with key bursts of activity on all childhood immunisations.

The Department will also launch a national childhood vaccination paid marketing campaign in February 2026 to encourage uptake of all childhood vaccinations for those age 0-5 years and will include high impact advertising across video on demand, online video, radio, out of home posters and social media. This will be supported by partnerships across a range of sectors including retailers, nursery providers and charities. Activity will be upweighted to key low uptake communities and geographical areas across the country.

Ahead of launch, NHS England is hosting vaccine confidence sessions for health care workers to help them have vaccination conversations and address any questions or concerns with parents and carers. Communication toolkits and assets are also being issued to primary care teams across all regions to support the launch of the chickenpox programme, which will include material for parents and carers.