1. Vaccinations can Strengthen Your Immunity
Increase protection for yourself and your loved ones from contagious diseases like influenza and pneumococcal disease. Vaccinations are effective in enabling your body to recognise and fight germs as if you have caught the disease, hence assisting with strengthening your immunity against various serious diseases. As a result, when you do get exposed to the germs in the future, your immune system will be ready to fight it and you will not be at risk of serious complications or death.
2. Herd Immunity
As more people get immunised, viruses and/or bacteria have lesser people that they can successfully infect, thus protecting the community. Vaccinations are widely recognised as one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions in the world.
All vaccines can have side effects. Mild side effects, such as low-grade fever or pain and redness at the site of injection, are expected and will usually resolve on their own. On the other hand, severe side effects are very rare. Nonetheless, getting vaccinated is much more tolerable and safer than contracting these infections or suffering the complications that result from these infections.
Globally, vaccines are assessed based on the best scientific evidence available by the relevant authorities to ensure they meet the required standards of quality, safety and efficacy before they are approved for use. Vaccines for use in Singapore are registered with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
There are different schedules for different vaccinations. For example, you are encouraged to take a flu vaccination annually or get a COVID-19 vaccination whenever there is a booster available. On the other hand, you may have received some vaccines as a child, such as Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) or Varicella. However, the protection efficacy from some of these vaccines can wear off over time. There are also other risk factors that will also affect your immunity towards other diseases such as your age, lifestyle, travel or medical conditions. Hence, it is crucial that you regularly check in with your doctors to determine if your vaccinations are up to date.
It is essential to protect yourself and your loved ones by keeping current with your vaccinations.
Some vaccines such as Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) or Varicella that you may have received as a child, the protection efficacy from these vaccines can wear off over time. There are other risk factors that will also affect your immunity towards other diseases such as your age, lifestyle, travel or medical conditions.
MOH has published 2 recommended vaccination schedules: the National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS) for adults above 18 years old, and the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS) for children below 18 years old.
Children in Singapore are vaccinated from infectious diseases according to the National Childhood Immunisation Programme. Currently, it covers vaccinations against 12 diseases – tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliovirus, Haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal disease and human papillomavirus.
NCIS also covers vaccinations against varicella (chickenpox) and influenza (flu). Of the vaccines listed above, vaccinations for measles and diphtheria are compulsory for children under the Infectious Diseases Act.
The National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS) provides guidance on vaccinations that persons aged 18 years and older should adopt to protect themselves against vaccine-preventable diseases, to facilitate important vaccinations amongst adults and help individuals make more informed decisions.
Please refer to the NAIS and NCIS table below (CAA- 1 Jan 2025):
For Healthier SG (HSG)-enrolled Singapore Citizens who meet the requirements under the National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS), your nationally-recommended vaccinations will be fully-subsidised ($0) at your enrolled HSG clinic.
Get more information on available subsidies here.
The following groups of people are more susceptible to serious complications from infectious diseases:
Yes. The National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS) and National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS) were developed based on recommendations of the Expert Committee on Immunisation, which comprises specialists from various disciplines such as infectious diseases, microbiology, paediatrics and public health as well as representatives from both the public and private healthcare institutions.
This committee regularly reviews the immunisation programmes in Singapore. The committee also closely follows the recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO)
Singaporeans are able to access their vaccination records via HealthHub with their SingPass. However, those who are born earlier (i.e. before 1996) are only able to access the records for NAIS vaccinations which were given on or after 1 Nov 2017. In the absence of vaccination records and if individuals are not able to recall their vaccination history, they are advised to discuss with their healthcare providers on their vaccination needs.
In general, you can proceed with your routine vaccinations if you did not have fever in the past 24 hours and have completed your COVID-19 isolation period (if applicable).
Medical practitioners are requested to notify the National Immunisation Registry when vaccinations are given.
** Information extracted from HealthHub**
