Milestone in fighting childhood illness

Chickenpox can be fatal in rare cases

- BY ELLA PICKOVER

A VACCINE which protects against chickenpox is to be rolled out across the NHS for the first time.

Children aged between 12 and 18 months across the UK will now be offered the vaccine along with the MMR jag, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.

Health experts welcomed the news, saying chickenpox can be "very serious" for some.

The roll-out of the vaccine could also help reduce the burden on families, they said, with many parents forced to take time off work to care for their children while they are sick.