Overview

• GP practices will offer a combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine that will replace the current MMR schedule at 12 and 18 months.
• Officials expect the rollout to protect around 500,000 children each year once it begins in January 2026.
• The varicella jab was previously available only privately at about £150 for a full course.
• UKHSA data show no main childhood vaccine met the 95% uptake target in 2024/25, with MMR coverage at 91.9% for one dose and 83.7% for two doses, and sharp regional gaps from 90.2% in the North East to 69.6% in London for two-dose MMR at age five.
• Ministers and health leaders are urging parents to take up the new jab as NHS England coordinates the rollout, citing projected savings of roughly £15m a year for the NHS and an estimated £24m a year in reduced lost productivity.