Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help vaccinate children against chicken pox.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended a universal varicella chickenpox vaccination programme be introduced as part of the routine childhood schedule. The JCVI statement is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-varicella-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-14-november-2023/jcvi-statement-on-a-childhood-varicella-chickenpox-vaccination-programme

Ministers have accepted the JCVI recommendation, and the Department is in discussions with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency on the potential implementation of the recommendation.