Flu vaccination not required for everyone

08 Nov 2005, The Straits Times

Question

Flu vaccination not required for everyone

I have called many clinics regarding flu vaccination as my two young daughters and I will be travelling to southern China. Only one clinic, Cashew Medical Clinic, has the flu vaccine but has refused to give my daughters the injections. 

I told the nurse that we needed the jabs urgently as we would be leaving for China on Nov 28 but she could not help as the doctor had instructed that the vaccine was to be reserved for their patients. 

Is this a standard practice by all registered doctors?

Reply

Reply from MOH 

We refer to the letter, "Can Clinics Reserve Flu Jabs", in the Straits Times dated 8 Nov 2005. In the letter, Mdm Ng Ah Cheng wrote that she had called many clinics regarding the flu vaccination and one clinic which had the vaccine had refused to give her daughters the vaccination. 

There is currently a temporary worldwide shortage of the influenza vaccine. The Ministry of Health is working with the vaccine suppliers to bring in more influenza vaccine into Singapore. New stocks of the influenza vaccine for the polyclincs is expected to arrive by next week. 

We have also contacted Cashew Medical Clinic and were informed that the 3 remaining doses of the influenza vaccination in the clinic had already been allocated to 3 of the clinic's patients who were going overseas and as such there was no vaccine available for Mdm Ng's daughters. 

The Ministry wishes to remind the public that influenza vaccination is not required for the general population. 

The public should consult their family practitioner on whether there is a need for them to receive the influenza vaccination. Currently, we encourage influenza vaccination to be given for persons who are at higher risk of developing complications from influenza, namely the elderly aged 65 years or above, persons with chronic heart and lung diseases, persons with diabetes or renal diseases, children and teenagers aged 6 months to 18 years who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and women in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. Those travelling to temperate countries in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter season are also advised to obtain the current influenza vaccine at least one to two weeks before departure.