Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of chickenpox infections on (a) NHS hospitals and (b) primary care in the UK.

The Department has not made any assessments on the potential effects of chickenpox on National Health Service hospitals or primary care providers as most cases are self-limiting and safely managed at home. We would expect families to follow the advice on the NHS.uk website.¹ Since chickenpox is so common in childhood, 90% of adults raised in the United Kingdom are immune.²

Notes:

¹https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/

²https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/456562/Green_Book_Chapter_34_v3_0.pdf