The data shows the significant burden chickenpox placed on young children in England in 2025 - the year before protection against the virus became part of the routine NHS Childhood Vaccination Programme. 

Dr Gavin Dabrera, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: ‘Chickenpox might seem like a mild illness that children simply have to get through, but these figures reveal the true toll this nasty disease can inflict on children especially the very young, with thousands of hospital admissions and school absences every year.'

There were over 15,000 GP consultations for chickenpox in under-18s over the course of the year, based on the sample of GP practices.  

Children aged 5 and under bore the brunt of the illness, accounting for over 70% of all clinical chickenpox reports made to regional UKHSA Health Protection Teams. The highest rates of those hospitalised were among the youngest children, with those under 1 facing the greatest hospitalisation rates (5.8 compared with 2.3 per 100,000 among 1-4 year olds).

From 1 January 2026, protection against chickenpox was added to the routine childhood immunisation schedule as part of a combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine. A selective catch-up programme is also running from next month.