Announcement: Our clinic is now named Love & Joy Family Clinic, formerly Virtue Medical Clinic (Sunset Way), rest-assured that everything else remains the same.
Influenza vaccination protects against a severe form of respiratory infection caused by the Influenza virus Type A and Type B. Catching influenza often results in high fever, malaise, fatigue, body ache, headache, sore throat and cough, and more significantly, there is a risk of complications such as pneumonia.
Influenza infections occur all year round in Singapore with small spikes in the middle and the end/beginning of the year.
As such the flu vaccine is updated twice a year, typically during April and September to cover different strains that are expected to be most common for that season.
A single dose is recommended annually or per season (twice a year), depending on your medical status, as the flu virus changes rapidly and our body’s immunity against it may decline.
Influenza vaccination is strongly recommended for all ages from 6 months old to elderly.
It is especially important for those individuals who are high-risk for complications due to medical conditions such as diabetes, lung conditions, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, immunosuppressed state from medications, as well as all pregnant females, children 5 years and below, and adults 65 years and above. In fact, government subsidies are applicable to those high-risk persons for their annual flu vaccination.
The flu vaccine reduces the risk of severe flu-related complications, including pneumonia and hospitalization.
Vaccination helps shield high-risk groups such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic health conditions.
When more people are vaccinated, the overall spread of the virus is minimized, offering protection to those who cannot be vaccinated.
Preventing flu cases reduces the strain on healthcare systems, particularly during peak flu seasons.
The flu vaccine is typically administered annually, as flu viruses evolve each year. The best time to get vaccinated is before the flu season begins. However, you can still benefit from the vaccine later in the season.
The vaccine introduces antigens from the flu virus into your body, triggering your immune system to produce antibodies. These antibodies remain active for the flu season, ready to fight off infection if you are exposed to the virus.
The flu vaccine reduces the risk of illness by approximately 40-60% depending on the match between the vaccine and circulating flu strains.
The flu vaccine is free for all Singaporean citizens from 6 months to 5 years old, and heavily subsidised for high-risk persons such as those above 65 years old or pregnant or with medical conditions listed above.
If you are enrolled in HealthierSG at our clinic, the influenza vaccine will be completely (free i.e. no co-payment) if you are above 65 years old, pregnant or have certain medical conditions.
The latest 2025 Southern Hemisphere influenza vaccine is currently in stock and costs $45 per dose (nett price) for those ineligible for subsidies.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a contagious virus that leads to serious infections of the lung and lower airways in older persons, especially those with diabetes, asthma, COPD or heart conditions. Symptoms may vary from mild to severe, including shortness of breath and wheezing, and can last up to 2 weeks.
AREXVY IS the long-awaited FDA-approved vaccine against the RSV and has been approved by HSA (Singapore) since May 2024. Clinical study have proven it to be 82% effective in preventing lung and lower airway infection from RSV in people aged 60 years and older and over 94% effective in preventing lung and lower airway infection from RSV in people aged 60 years and older with asthma, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic heart failure, advanced liver or kidney disease, or any chronic respiratory or pulmonary disease.
AREXVY is indicated for all adults 60 years old and above, especially those with diabetes and other cardiorespiratory and endocrine-metabolic conditions.
It is given in a single-dose injection, and unlike the influenza vaccination, repeated doses are not required at this moment.
It is a recombinant, AS01E adjuvanted (non-mRNA) vaccine, similar to Shingrix vaccine for shingles prevention. It is a generally safe vaccine like other common vaccines and common side effects are injection site pain (61%), fatigue (34%), myalgia (29%), headache (28%), and arthralgia (18%).
AREXVY is approved by HSA for all adults aged 60 years or over.
AREXVY is a single-dose injection (one-time) and costs $320 (nett price) at our clinic.
Absolutely not! In fact the influenza vaccine is one of the safest vaccines that has been around for more than 6 decades. It is an inactivated virus which cannot cause an infection, but works by stimulating your immune system to produce antibodies against influenza.
In general, healthy persons should take the flu vaccine once a year or annually. For persons with weakened immune system from medications or other diseases, 6-monthly vaccination is recommended.
For infants 6 months and above or young children who have never received the flu vaccine before in their lives, they would require two doses 1 month apart for the first and only time, and then once a year for subsequent vaccinations.
Flu vaccine is very safe, and common side effects include injection site soreness, muscle soreness, fatigue, or a low-grade fever for up to 2 days only. High fevers are uncommon and are often coinciding with other concurrent infections. Mostly, patients do not report any side effects.
Yes, all infants 6 months and above may start receiving the flu vaccine, especially when their immune system is not fully matured yet and catching the influenza viruses may result in higher risk of severe infections or complications. Infants or young children receiving the flu vaccine will require 2 doses for the first time as their immune systems are still developing and a single dose may not be adequate to elicit an immune response.
Yes, the flu vaccine and a Tdap booster are two important vaccinations you should receive during your pregnancy journey, and your Obstetrician will remind you to get those done.
Not to fret, you can get your flu vaccine done at any time of the year, as soon as you can. It doesn’t matter which season you took your flu vaccine as long as you take a dose once a year as there are cross-protection between the various vaccine strains and your immune system also becomes stronger with each yearly dose.