From the 1 January 2026, all children will be offered the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine at 12 and 18 months. This will offer protection against varicella (chickenpox) in addition to the routine MMR vaccine which was previously offered at 12 months and 3 years, 4 months. Older children without a history of chickenpox will be offered a vaccine as part of a catch up programme.
UKHSA information is available here and are summarised below:
MMRV vaccination eligibility by date of birth
| Date of birth | Age on 31 December 2025 | New programme from 1 January 2026 | Child’s full schedule for MMR/MMRV |
| 01/01/2025 or later | Under 1 year | 2 doses of MMRV at 12 and 18 months | 12 months: MMRV 18 months: MMRV |
| 01/01/2024 to 31/12/2024 | 1 year to under 18 months | 2 doses of MMRV at 18 months and 3 years 4 months | 12 months: MMR (note 1) 18 months: MMRV 3 years 4 months: MMRV |
| 01/09/2022 to 30/06/2024 | 1 dose of MMRV at 3 years 4 months | 12 months: MMR 3 years 4 months: MMRV | |
| 01/01/2020 to 31/08/2022 | 3 years 4 months to under 6 years | Selective catch-up from 1 Nov 2026 to 31 Mar 2028 for those who have not yet had chickenpox infection or 2 doses of varicella vaccination (note 2) | 12 months: MMR dose 1 3 years 4 months: MMRdose 2 MMRV catch up offer |
| 31/12/2019 or before | 6 years old and older | Not eligible | 12 months: MMR dose 1 3 years 4 months: MMRdose 2 |
- Note 1: if a child has not yet received a dose of MMR vaccine that they should have received, for example if they turned 12 months of age in mid to late December 2025, MMRV should be given and the dose of MMRV at 3 years 4 months is not required.
- Note 2: there is no requirement for practices to check the history for those who respond to the offer.
The vaccines
There are currently two MMR vaccines licensed for use as part of the routine immunisation programme: ProQuad® (MSD) (contains porcine gelatine) and Priorix-Tetra® (GSK). The vaccines are considered clinically equivalent and interchangeable. They are both live attenuated viruses.
The UKHSA has developed and published a PGD, with the relevant signatures required for the London region available on their website here.
Vaccine ordering
Vaccines for the national vaccination programmes in England should be ordered via the ImmForm website. Healthcare practitioners should refer to this website and Vaccine Update (the vaccination newsletter for healthcare practitioners) for current information on vaccine availability. To minimise wastage due to fridge failures or expiry, healthcare practitioners are reminded to order no more than 2 weeks’ worth of stock, rather than over-ordering or stockpiling vaccines. Vaccines should be ordered, stored and monitored as described in the Green Book Storage, distribution and disposal of vaccines chapter.
Practices should continue to order MMR vaccine as well as MMRV vaccine as this will be required for older children (born before 1 January 2020) and adults who require catch up vaccination.
Where a clinician has decided that it is clinically appropriate to vaccinate an individual who is not eligible for the national MMRV vaccination programme, GP practices would need to purchase the MMRV vaccine directly from the manufacturer and then reclaim the cost of the vaccine through their usual process.
Further details regarding vaccine storage, preparation and administration are available on the Government website. This includes FAQs on side effects and cautions, as well as information on catch up schedules for those behind on their routine immunisations.
Further queries: Please contact the London immunisations team directly at england.londonimms@nhs.net with any queries.