Wondering why you need to vaccinate? Here's what you need to know about protecting your baby or child against disease through immunity...
As parents, we all try our best to keep our babies and kids away from anything that could cause them harm, from using car safety seats and child-proofing our homes. But from a health perspective, do you know how vaccinations help protect babies and children in Singapore? Ensuring that your kids are up to date with all their vaccinations is arguably one of the most important ways to protect your kids against serious and potentially fatal illnesses. If you’re been wondering how vaccinations work, need to get to know the immunisation guidelines for infants and children in Singapore, and whether your insurance covers vaccination costs, global insurance advisor Pacific Prime Singapore sheds some light…
Vaccinations for children in Singapore
How do vaccines work?
Vaccines help to greatly reduce the risks of infection by safely working with the body to develop immunity against dangerous diseases such as pertussis (whooping cough), tuberculosis, hepatitis B, polio, rubella and measles. By injecting the body with an imitation infection, your body’s cells learn how to recognise and then fight the disease.
What is ‘herd immunity?
When a large proportion of the population is protected from a disease after vaccination, you achieve ‘herd immunity’ or ‘community immunity’. It relies on the cooperation of individuals to protect themselves and others around them: this way, even those who can’t be vaccinated, including premature babies and infants who are still too young, can be protected.
Common concerns regarding vaccines
The important thing to note is that vaccines have proven effective in preventing a whole host of once-deadly diseases. The World Health Organisation (WHO) asserts that vaccinations are necessary and safe and states: “It is far more likely to be seriously injured by a vaccine-preventable disease than by a vaccine.” For infants too young to be vaccinated against whooping cough, for example, the disease can be deadly. Despite much evidence supporting the crucial role vaccines have played in preventing infectious diseases, people still remain sceptical. Some concerns include:
Are vaccines safe?
This is the first question that pops into parents’ minds, as injecting so many vaccines into a tiny infant can be frightful thought. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Before a new vaccine is ever given to people, extensive lab testing is done. Once testing in people begins, it can still take years before clinical studies are complete and the vaccine is licensed. After a vaccine is licensed, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CDC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other federal agencies continue routine monitoring and investigate any potential safety concerns.”
Combined vaccinations overload the immune system
Some parents believe that infant immune systems can’t handle so many vaccines and fear that their child will become “overloaded” when receiving multiple vaccinations (such as MMR) at once. According to NHS Wales, “the bacteria and viruses used in vaccines are weakened or killed, and there are far fewer of them than the natural bugs that babies come into contact with. In fact, if a child was given 11 vaccines all at the same time, it would only use a thousandth of their immune system!”
Vaccines cause autism
This concern began in 1998 when a study published by Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet, a prestigious medical journal, linked the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine to an increased incidence of autism. The article was later found to contain procedural errors and ethical violations and was retracted by the journal. Several major studies were later conducted and concluded that there is no link between vaccines and the likelihood of developing autism.
Vaccines cause harmful side effects, illnesses and even death
According to Stanford Medicine, “Some children have minor side effects from getting a vaccine like a slight fever or swelling at the injection site. The risk for death or serious side effects is so small that it is hard to document.”
Vaccination ingredients like thimerosal are harmful
Many anti-vaccine websites simply publish lists of ‘scary’ chemicals present in vaccines. For example, a lot of people are concerned about thimerosal, the anti-fungal agent present in vaccines, because it contains mercury (ethyl mercury). According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “All mercury isn’t the same. Ethylmercury is broken down and excreted by the human body and is less likely to accumulate and cause harm.”
Singapore’s National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS)
Did you know that by law, every child in Singapore must be vaccinated against diphtheria and measles? Expat parents are advised to consult a doctor about making a balanced decision based on Singapore’s vaccination schedule and the schedule suggested by their home country, as immunisation guidelines vary.
The national childhood immunisation schedule for children in Singapore is as follows:
Vaccines and health insurance in Singapore
At present, every baby born to Singaporean parents is given $4,000 by the government in their Medisave accounts, which can be used for medical expenses as well as vaccinations under the national childhood immunisation schedule. However, most expats are not eligible for Medisave subsidies, and without adequate insurance, they may end up paying hundreds of dollars just for a single vaccination.
The best way to address these costs is by making sure that your family health insurance plan includes vaccination coverage, which is typically supplied under the outpatient benefit. One thing to look out for is that many insurers will cap the coverage amount on the vaccination benefit, and some insurers may also impose a waiting period on it. Some plans are also more flexible than others and may allow you to customise your plan so that it provides vaccination coverage for your children rather than for the adults in your family.
To find out if your plan covers immunisation costs, or to find the right plan for your family’s healthcare needs, talk to an experienced broker such as Pacific Prime. With years of experience providing family insurance solutions to expats, its helpful advisors are more than happy to offer impartial advice for your needs, as well as a free quote and plan comparison.
This post is sponsored by Pacific Prime.
Lead image: CDC on Unsplash