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Prevent What’s Preventable with Vaccination

Many contagious diseases are preventable with vaccines. There is no reason why you should suffer from severe complications these diseases can cause. One such vaccine-preventable disease is measles, which is on the rise globally. In Singapore, there have been more cases reported in 2019 than in 2018. Your best defence against such diseases is by getting vaccinated.

Prevent What's Preventable with Vaccination

FIND YOUR RECOMMENDED VACCINES

Select the appropriate age group and gender to get a list of vaccines recommended for you and your loved ones.

MY AGE GROUP IS
MY GENDER IS

Download the National Adult Immunisation Schedule here.
The schedule was based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee on Immunisation (ECI).

MY AGE GROUP IS
MY GENDER IS

Download the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule here.
The schedule was based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee on Immunisation (ECI).

We live in a world where you can find germs almost anywhere.

You may not realise it, but your body is constantly in a never-ending battle – fighting off germs it is exposed to.

The important part of your body that fights the germs, is your immune system. It can be strengthened by getting vaccinated.

When you get vaccinated, you teach your body how to fight the disease. Your body learns and memorises how to handle these germs as if you got the disease. If you are exposed to them in the future, your immune system will remember how to fight it.

If you are infected before you get vaccinated, you are at risk of falling seriously ill. The infection can lead to complications, disability and even death.

STRENGTHEN YOUR IMMUNITY WITH VACCINATION

If you generally lead a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and eating healthily and hardly fall sick, you may have a good immune system. However, it may not be enough to ensure that you can fight an infectious disease. Vaccines help build your immune system by strengthening your immunity against serious infectious diseases.

VACCINES IMITATE GERMS

Antigens are parts of germs. Vaccines use small amounts of antigens to train the body to recognise and fight the real germs should they come.

IMMUNE RESPONSE IS TRIGGERED

The antigens trigger your immune system to respond, helping you build immunity against the disease.

EXTRA TRAINING NEEDED

Sometimes, the immune system needs more than one training session to learn how to fight the disease effectively. In these cases, a few doses of the vaccine may be necessary over a period of time. To ensure that you are protected, it is important to vaccinate according to the recommended timings and not delay it.

VACCINES ARE SAFE & EFFECTIVE

While vaccines cannot guarantee 100% prevention of a disease, the likelihood of falling ill is much higher if you were not vaccinated.

Globally, vaccines – such as the measles vaccine – are endorsed by authorities such as the United States Food and Drug Administration to be safe and effective, based on the best scientific evidence available. The Health Sciences Authority in Singapore also closely monitors the safety of vaccines.

Mild side effects such as low-grade fever or pain and redness at the injection site are expected and they will go away on their own. Severe long-lasting side effects are extremely rare.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Our immune system produces immunity following vaccination, just as it would after a “natural” infection.

The difference is that you do not get sick first when you get the vaccination. Vaccines help strengthen your immune system and protect you from potentially life-threatening complications.

Hence, it is highly recommended that you and your loved ones get vaccinated according to the schedule.

These groups of people are more susceptible to falling seriously ill from infectious diseases.

  1. a.Older adults & young children
    The immune system of the elderly may have been weakened and may not function like they used to. For young children, their immune system may not be fully developed yet.
  2. b.Pregnant women
    At any stage of pregnancy, women are at higher risk of developing severe illness if exposed to infectious diseases. This can also put the baby at risk. You are advised to get your recommended vaccinations before you get pregnant, so you can prevent what’s preventable. Pregnant women should consult their doctors on the vaccinations they need.

Some people may feel minor pain or swelling at the site of injection, or mild fever. These reactions, if they occur, are mild and temporary such that they will resolve quickly. Serious adverse events are very rare.

The safety of vaccines is thoroughly studied before they are licensed for public use. Internationally, there is a strong system to monitor vaccine safety. To complement efforts in monitoring vaccine safety globally, the Health Sciences Authority in Singapore also closely monitors the safety of vaccines.

The benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the slight risk i.e. many more complications or deaths would occur without vaccination.

Yes. The National Adult Immunisation Schedule and National Childhood Immunisation Schedule were developed based on recommendations of the Expert Committee on Immunisation, comprising of Ministry of Health senior officials, consultant paediatricians and experts in communicable disease.

This national committee meets regularly to monitor and review the immunisation programme in Singapore. The committee also follows closely recommendations from World Health Organisation (WHO).

The reason why Singapore is now free from most vaccine-preventable diseases is because of the effective and successful vaccination programme in Singapore.

Under the Infectious Diseases Act, doctors are required to notify NIR of vaccinations given. Your child will automatically be added to the Registry when they received their first vaccination. The NIR maintains the vaccination records for children born from 1996 onwards from birth to 18 years of age.

You can access your child’s record via HealthHub. You would need your SingPass and password to do so. SingPass is the common password used to transact with different Government online service.

The vaccinations needed depend on your travel destination and activities, your medical history and what vaccinations you have already had. This usually requires a travel medicine consultation. You may obtain more information from the US CDC Travel Health Website.

You can make an appointment at the Travellers’ Health & Vaccination Clinic at TTSH by calling 6357 2222.


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Prevent What’s Preventable with Vaccination
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