Vaccination and Chickenpox

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. misleadingly claimed that Europe doesn’t vaccinate children against chickenpox due to concerns about shingles, but studies have not supported this claim. Some European countries do vaccinate kids against chickenpox. The varicella-zoster virus causes both chickenpox and shingles. There is concern that vaccinating kids against chickenpox may temporarily raise shingles risk in older adults, but evidence is lacking. Shingles rates have plateaued or declined in the U.S. Chickenpox vaccine has greatly reduced chickenpox cases and saved lives. The U.K. is set to begin vaccinating children against chickenpox in 2026.