MMRV vaccination: a guide for parents and carers

For parents and carers of infants aged 12 months to 3 years 4 months

From 1 January 2026, children will be offered the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, which will now be part of the combined MMRV vaccine as part of the routine childhood schedule of immunisations. 

MMRV vaccine protects children against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox).

Children born after 1 January 2026 will be automatically offered two doses of the MMRV vaccine at 12 months and 18 months.

A catch-up programme will offer one or two doses to older children, depending on their date of birth:

• children born on or after 1 January 2025 will be offered two MMRV doses, one at 12 months and one at 18 months
• children born between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024 will be offered two MMRV doses, one at 18 months and another at the age of 3 years and 4 months
• children born between 1 September 2022 and 30 June 2024 will be offered one MMRV dose at 3 years and 4 months
• children born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022 will be offered a single dose MMRV between 1 November 2026 and 31 March 2028, if they don’t have a history of the chickenpox disease.

Children aged six or older on the last day of 2025 will not be eligible for the MMRV because they are likely to already have had a chickenpox infection.

Patients who require the MMR vaccine as they have not previously been vaccinated, but are too old for the varicella vaccine element as stated above, would normally receive the MMRV vaccine.

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Published: Dec 30, 2025