All young children in the UK can now be offered protection against chickenpox for the first time on the NHS.

The vaccine will be combined with the already existing MMR jab, given to children at 12 and 18 months of age, which helps protect against measles, mumps and rubella. Children up to the age of six can catch up on doses when invited. Children over the age of 6 who have not yet had chickenpox may have to look at having this privately.

Experts say the new, combined vaccine called MMRV, where V stands for varicella, another name for chickenpox, is expected to reduce the many thousands of families affected by the infection each year and prevent the most severe cases. Until now, parents have had to pay up to £200 to buy a vaccine privately to protect their children.

The MMRV vaccine has been safely used for decades in other countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and Germany, which have all seen decreases in the number of people getting chickenpox and fewer serious cases.