FAMILIES with young children in Teignbridge will now be offered protection against chickenpox as part of routine childhood vaccinations.

The NHS’s vaccination programme is being expanded in the South West to include chickenpox for the first time to help shield young children from getting seriously ill.

Following a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations, GP practices will be able to offer children the chickenpox vaccine from January, combining it with the previous MMR vaccine.

The combined ‘MMRV’ vaccine will now provide protection against chickenpox as well as the three other serious diseases which the MMR vaccine protected against: measles, mumps, rubella.

Chickenpox is a common infection in children that spreads easily and while usually mild, it can lead to serious complications which need hospitalisation, including chest infections and fits.

Dr Trevor Smith, Regional Medical Director for NHS England South West said: ‘Being able to provide protection for children against chickenpox for the first time on the NHS is truly a historic moment.

‘Building on the existing programme of routine vaccinations we provide for children to protect them against serious illnesses, this combined vaccine will now protect against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox and will be available for children as part of their usual vaccination schedule.

‘This will help us keep our children healthier, enabling them to stay in school and supporting the wider NHS goal of moving from sickness to prevention.’

Latest data indicates half of children will contract chickenpox by the age of four, and 90per cent by the age of 10.

Children who catch chickenpox are typically advised to stay off school until all spots have formed a scab, which is usually five days after the spots appear.

The new vaccine will mean children miss fewer days in nursery or school and reduce time parents need to take off work to care for them.

Dr Georgina Angel, Consultant in Public Health and Screening and Immunisation Lead for NHS England South West, said: ‘Each year hundreds of children in the South West contract chickenpox, resulting in them having to miss school or nursery, and in some cases, be hospitalised.

‘By offering this historic vaccination as part of our routine childhood immunisation programme, children will not only be protected from a potentially serious disease, but it will also save families from the disruption and distress it can cause.’

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 3 years, 4 months.

Children born between September 1 2022 and June 30 2024 will be offered one dose at 3 years 4 months, and the NHS is also planning a single-dose catch-up programme later in the year for older children born between January 1 2020 and August 31 2022.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine were previously offered to children at 12 months and at 3 years, 4 months of age but the second dose will be brought forward to 18 months for children born on or after 1 July 2024 to provide them with earlier protection.

Local GP surgeries will be contacting families to let them know when they are due their vaccinations.