Newly-arrived families in the UAE are being urged to ensure their children receive free chickenpox vaccinations to help boost protection against a virus that can have potentially life-threatening consequences.
The majority of chickenpox cases – caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) – are quickly shrugged off by most children, with symptoms of an itchy rash and fever.
However, those with associated health conditions can be stuck down with more serious health issues, such as brain infection, pneumonia or life threatening sepsis.
A vaccine against VZV has been used since 1995, preventing millions of infections, and slashing the number of admissions to hospital and deaths.
Immunisation is offered for free in the UAE to children aged at least 12 months as part of the national immunisation programme.
Now schools are back in full-swing, doctors are encouraging parents who may have recently moved to the UAE to ensure children are fully protected.
Key safety measure
“While chickenpox is often seen as a childhood rite of passage, it’s important to remember that it can lead to serious – and even life-threatening – complications, even in healthy kids,” said Dr Siddharth Arora, a specialist paediatrician, at Medcare Women and Children Hospital.
“Most parents today are very supportive of routine chickenpox vaccination for their children, and remember how uncomfortable, itchy, and sometimes painful chickenpox was when they were young.
“They don’t want their kids to go through the same experience.
“What’s more, parents are increasingly aware of the serious health risks that chickenpox can pose. With the added reassurance that the vaccine is both safe and effective, confidence in the chickenpox vaccine is growing steadily among families”
Vaccine hesitancy due to misinformation purported online has threatened to set back health campaigns for chickenpox, and other childhood diseases such as measles.
CEO at Acasus
All children in the UAE are given vaccines against Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis, Hemophilus Influenzae Type B, Pneumococcal conjugate, and Polio.
At 12 months, they are also given the MMR jab against mumps, measles and rubella and varicella – to help stave off chicken pox.
Free vaccines
In the UK, for example, a free chickenpox vaccine will be offered to children for the first time on the NHS from January next year, meaning some children who have recently arrived in the UAE may not be protected.
Previously, UK parents would have had to pay about £200 ($269) to have their child vaccinated privately.
“When I was in the NHS we didn't have a vaccine at that time, so when I came to Dubai and saw that chickenpox vaccine was part of the routine schedule it was a good thing,” said Dr Mahesh Gautamrao Katre, a consultant in paediatrics at NMC Royal Hospital, Dubai Investments Park.
“It's a very important vaccine. My son and my daughter are in the UK and they’ve never had the chickenpox vaccine.
“Anybody who has never had a vaccine can catch up.
“Generally they need two doses, as long as there is at least a two month gap it's completely safe.”
Children who are not vaccinated are at significantly higher risk of bacterial skin infections. Scratching the itchy blisters can introduce bacteria, leading to deep skin infections that may need antibiotics or even admission to hospital.
Pneumonia is a serious lung infection that can develop in children with chickenpox, especially those with weakened immune systems, while encephalitis is a rare but serious brain inflammation that can cause seizures, confusion, or long-term neurological problems.
“Serious infections can happen, and I saw that practising in the UK where more children were unvaccinated,” said Dr Katre.
“In the UAE, I have never seen anybody refusing the vaccine for their children, so the uptake is greater here.
“Things are happening in the US around the MMR vaccination and all types of vaccination actually, and there are lots of myths suggesting a link to autism and behavioural problems.
“But we know they're perfectly safe, they're saving lives and protecting our communities.”
Global outbreaks
In the US, health officials are braced for a continuing measles outbreak as children return to school, and the shock waves could reverberate around the world.
The 1,431 confirmed US cases recorded so far this year are the highest in more than 30 years, with 32 separate outbreaks of the highly contagious virus and just 10 states escaping with zero cases.
Measles is also surging in Canada, where 4,799 probate cases have been identified in 2025, while Europe has recorded the highest number of infections since 1997.
The spike points towards a changing attitude towards vaccines that kept a lid on outbreaks for much of this century.
Measles remains most prevalent across Africa, Asia and the Middle East and increasing cases are viewed by experts as a litmus test for the strength of a nation’s health system.
While the UAE stands firm against infections, with widespread vaccination programmes and surveillance, experts said now is not the time for complacency.
“Across the world, data shows there has been a major backslide, with the WHO reporting increasing outbreaks in more than 40 countries last year,” said global health expert Jonny Barty, who is CEO at Acasus
“Measles is highly contagious and remains a significant cause of deaths among young children around the world, so it is critical this surge does not go unchecked.
“It’s not just the West where cases are rising, however.
“Its resurgence typically signals gaps in vaccination coverage, health equity, and trust in medical infrastructure.
“If we are to reduce the incidence of measles around the world, we must first address the root causes of outbreaks.”
Measles immunisation has been one of global health’s great success stories, with the disease eliminated in many countries and deaths dropping by 73 per cent between 2000 to 2018
The measles vaccine is one of the most effective ever, with over 97 per cent efficacy when two doses are administered.
“Without urgent, co-ordinated action, the world risks reversing two decades of progress,” said Mr Barty.
“The good news is that we know what’s required.
“The measles vaccine works, game changing innovations are on the horizon, and the systems required to deliver it can work.
“What’s needed now is global resolve, investment in integrated delivery and the adoption of proven frameworks.”
