Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the financial effect of chickenpox on (a) NHS hospitals, (b) primary care and (c) families in each of the last three years.

Data on the financial effect of chickenpox on National Health Service hospitals, primary care and families are not routinely collected.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is currently reviewing its advice on routine varicella (chickenpox) vaccination. The Committee’s current advice on varicella vaccination can be found at the following link:

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120907095410/http://www.dh.gov.uk/ab/JCVI/DH_094744