Parent Hub: Student Immunisation And Screening

CHILD IMMUNISATION
AND SCREENING SERVICES

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) conducts annual school health visits to provide free health screening and immunisation services. HPB also conducts health education and health promotion programmes on lifestyle practices. HPB’s Student Health Centre, which generally provides preventive and screening services, follows up children referred from the school visits above.

Policy

The Infectious Diseases Act requires every child in Singapore to be vaccinated against diphtheria and measles.

Immunisation

Immunisations are very important. They protect your child against vaccine-preventable diseases that can lead to serious complications or even death.

In Singapore, the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS) lists the recommended vaccines that children should receive. In consultation with the Expert Committee on Immunisation, MOH regularly reviews vaccination policies as well as the vaccines listed on the schedule. This ensures that NCIS is up to date.

Vaccines are Safe

Vaccines are generally safe. They undergo years of testing for safety and effectiveness before they are approved and licensed.

The risk of serious complications from the vaccines is always much lower than the risk of complications if your child falls ill with one of the diseases. Also, allergy to vaccines is rare.

Side Effects of Vaccinations

HPB provides vaccinations against Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (Tdap) and Poliomyelitis [inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (IPV)] for students in primary schools.

Side effects	How to manage
Pain, redness or swelling at the site of the vaccination.	Apply cold compress to the affected arm if redness or swelling occurs. Medicines like paracetamol (e.g. Panadol) may be given to relieve the pain.
Slight fever, tiredness or poor appetite Headache, mild giddiness Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea	Ensure good hydration with plenty of clear fluids such as water for the next few days. Please bring your child/ward to the doctor if symptoms are persistent or he turns unwell.
A mild rash (that lasts for two days) may occur 5 to 12 days after the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccination.	Please bring your child/ward to the doctor if the rash is persistent or he/she turns unwell.

Child may resume physical activities after the vaccination unless unwell. Please log in to Healthhub via Singpass to view your child’s immunisation records.

Immunisations for Primary School

HPB provides vaccinations against Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (Tdap) and Poliomyelitis [inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (IPV)] for students in primary schools.

Primary 1 Students

Primary 1 students will receive compulsory vaccinations against Measles and Diphtheria (MMR/Tdap) if they have not received the recommended doses of these vaccinations under the NCIS.

This is mandated by the Infectious Diseases Act in Singapore.

If you wish to make alternative vaccination arrangements, please opt-out of this service at Child Consent Portal. If no opt-out notification is received from you, please be informed that your child will receive the compulsory vaccinations during the annual school health visit by HPB’s School Health Service if required.

For more information, you may visit www.nir.hpb.gov.sg or email your queries to Contact_YPS@HPB.gov.sg.

Primary 5 Students

With parental consent, Primary 5 students will receive booster vaccinations against Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis and Poliomyelitis as recommended under NCIS. You can submit your consent for your child to be vaccinated in the school with the required age-appropriate vaccinations at Child Consent Portal.

Students from Other Levels

Students from other levels may receive vaccinations (MMR, Tdap and/or Poliomyelitis) vaccines as required after school health team has reviewed their immunisation records. Parental consent is required.

Immunisations for Secondary School

During the school visit, the school health teams check and ensure that students have received their immunisations against Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (Tdap) and Poliomyelitis [e.g. oral poliomyelitis vaccine (OPV) or inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (IPV)] as recommended under the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule.

Students who have incomplete immunisation records or require catchup immunisations will be referred to the Student Health Centre (SHC). Parents may also take their child to their own doctor for the immunisation if they wish.

Please note that immunisation against Measles and Diphtheria is compulsory by Law in Singapore.

National School-Based HPV Programme

Under the National School-based Human Papillomavirus (HPV) programme, females attending MOE-registered secondary schools, Special Education (SPED) schools, Privately-Funded schools and full-time Madrasahs will be offered fully-subsidised HPV vaccinations in Secondary 1 and 2. This programme has been in place since 2019. Secondary One students who missed the school-based HPV vaccination will be contacted by HPB vendors and offered the option to complete their vaccination in the vendor’s clinic.

HPV vaccination is not compulsory and parental consent is required for the student to receive HPV vaccination. Parents/Guardians can provide parental consent via the Child Consent Portal for their daughter(s)/ward(s) to receive the HPV vaccinations.

For Singapore female Citizens or Permanent Residents who are home-schooled or who study in private institutions or overseas, there are several options available to complete their HPV vaccinations:

Book via the Health Appointment System with a CHAS GP provider near their home. Please see the section on “How much will it cost?”
Email Contact_YPS@HPB.gov.sg to book an appointment to receive the HPV vaccination at the Student Health Centre (SHC). This option is fully subsidised for citizens and permanent residents of Secondary One equivalent age-groups.
Contact their preferred polyclinic or private medical clinic that carries the HPV vaccine. Please check with the provider on their vaccination charges.

It is recommended that HPV vaccination be completed as early as possible between the ages of 9 – 26 years old.

Cervarix is the HPV vaccine used for the school-based HPV vaccination programme. It provides protections against HPV types 16 and 18 which are associated with about 70% of cervical cancer cases.

The number of HPV vaccinations required will depend on the age of the student at time of receiving the first dose of HPV vaccination.

The vaccination schedules for the National School-based HPV Vaccination Programme are given within the table:

	<15y when 1st Dose is Given	≥15y when 1st Dose is Given
Number of doses required	2 Doses	3 Doses
When will the doses be given	1 ^st Dose in Secondary 1 2 ^nd Dose in Secondary 2	1 ^st and 2 ^nd Dose in Secondary 1 3 ^rd Dose in Secondary 2

Clinical trials and post-marketing surveillance have shown that HPV vaccines are safe and effective. The vaccines do not contain any live viruses or infectious material. This means you cannot become infected with HPV from the vaccines.

For more information on national school-based HPV vaccination programme, you may refer to the information in the links below.

For any queries on the school-based HPV programme, please email HPB_mailbox@hpb.gov.sg.

Please visit FAQs on HPV and HPV immunisation to learn more about HPV and its link to cervical cancer.

Screening

During the SHS teams’ school visits, doctors and nurses conduct age-appropriate health screening for schoolchildren. To learn what the types of screening activities are, please click the links below.