Health authorities Friday launched a national campaign aimed at vaccinating 70,000 children ages 18 months and younger against chickenpox.

Public Health Minister María Luisa Avila explained during a press conference that in Costa Rica, four in every 100 children die from severe severe cases of this childhood illness.

Eduardo Doryan, president of the Social Security System (Caja) said the vaccines will be widely available at public medical facilities in an effort to make it accessible to the country's entire population.

Young children will now receive the chickenpox vaccination when they get a series of basic vaccinations against other illnesses including diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, rubella and mumps, according to the daily La Nación.

Providing the chickenpox vaccination to these children will cost the Caja more than $1 million.