You can now buy a vaccine for chickenpox on the high street.

Pharmacy chain Superdrug on The Piazza in Huddersfield town centre is offering the vaccine for £65.

Gone are the days of ‘chickenpox parties’ where you were sent round to a friend’s house to catch the virus.

While chickenpox is largely harmless in children it can pose a risk to those with low immune systems.

It can also be severe if caught in adulthood.

The vaccine is available on the NHS – but it is only offered to those with weak immune systems (such as those with HIV or those undergoing chemotherapy) or non-immune healthcare workers.

Boy with chickenpox

The vaccination is available at £65 per dose, and two doses – four to eight weeks apart – are recommended to give heightened immune protection.

Dr Pixie McKenna, Superdrug’s Health and Wellbeing Ambassador, said: “Chickenpox is often seen as a rite of passage in childhood resulting in anything from a very mild to a more serious infection in different people.

“Even in straightforward cases spot picking can lead to long term scarring which can linger long after the infection is gone.

“A chickenpox immunisation has been available for many years but not on the high street until now.

“Having suffered from severe chicken pox at the age of 19 I would far rather have undergone the vaccine than be struck down with the infection.”