Common childhood illnesses in Singapore: signs, spread and when to see a doctor

The common childhood illnesses in Singapore include colds, flu, stomach bugs, hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), pink eye and chickenpox. KKH says a cold or a mild stomach bug can be treated by your family doctor or a polyclinic. Go to Children's Emergency for a fever in a baby under 3 months, trouble breathing, or a child who's hard to wake. The table below shows the main signs of each illness and whether it spreads.

What to do when your child falls sick, step by step

1. Take your child's temperature and watch how they act. HealthHub counts anything above 38 degrees C as a fever, and our fever checker helps you read the number.
2. Take a baby under 3 months with a fever straight to Children's Emergency. For babies this young, NUH counts more than 37.5 degrees C under the arm, or 38.0 degrees C in the ear, and HealthHub and KKH both treat it as an emergency.
3. Offer fluids often. If your child is vomiting, HealthHub advises small, frequent sips, because a big drink at once is likely to bring on more vomiting.
4. Dress your child in thin clothes and keep the room cool. HealthHub says wrapping a feverish child in thick blankets stops the body losing heat.
5. Check with a doctor or pharmacist before giving any medicine. HSA says children under 2 need a medical professional's advice before cough and cold medicine.
6. Keep your child home while they're unwell, and tell the preschool or school what the doctor found. ECDA says a child goes back only after the MC ends and the symptoms have gone.
7. See your GP or a polyclinic if your child isn't getting better. HealthHub's line for a cold is a few days with no improvement, or a high fever.
8. Bring the Child Health Booklet. HealthHub says it holds immunisation records and an allergy table, and the doctor can note the visit in it.
9. Tell grandparents or your helper the plan, and which signs mean a return trip to the doctor.

Common childhood illnesses at a glance

Most of these spread like a cold. HealthHub says a cold virus passes on through a cough or sneeze nearby, or from a doorknob or table that someone touches before touching their face. If your child seems to catch every bug in class, our guide on why children fall sick so often at childcare covers why, and how to cope.

Two medicine rules come straight from CDA. Children with chickenpox shouldn't be given aspirin. In dengue, ibuprofen and aspirin should be avoided because they can raise the risk of bleeding.

Not every common condition is an infection. HealthHub says eczema isn't infectious. Asthma affects about 20 percent of children in Singapore, it says, and allergic rhinitis lasts all year in our tropical weather. Our guides cover asthma in children, allergy symptoms, eczema and toddler constipation. For teeth grinding, growing pains, nosebleeds or a bump to the head, start with the matching guide.

Which illnesses Singapore's vaccines prevent

CDA says the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS) covers 15 diseases: tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), polio, Hib, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, pneumococcal disease, HPV, flu and COVID-19. Measles and diphtheria vaccines are compulsory for children under the Infectious Diseases Act.

• Chickenpox: HealthHub recommends two doses, at 12 and 15 months.
• Flu: HealthHub says the NCIS recommends a flu jab every year for healthy children from 6 months to 59 months.
• Ear infections: SingHealth says the pneumococcal and Hib vaccines also lower the risk.
• Stomach bugs: CDA notes rotavirus vaccines are available for infants. They're outside the 15 NCIS diseases, so ask your doctor.
• RSV: CDA calls immunisation effective and says to ask your doctor. See our RSV protection guide.
• HFMD: CDA says there's currently no approved vaccine in Singapore.

Preschools check vaccines too. ECDA says a child needs at least 1 dose of MMR and the 3-dose primary series of diphtheria vaccine to enrol. See what's due with our vaccination schedule tool, or read our guide to the NCIS.

Notifiable diseases and preschool return rules

Under the Infectious Diseases Act, doctors must report certain diseases to the Director-General of Health. Parents don't. CDA's list (version dated 30 Oct 2026) includes dengue, measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, diphtheria, Hib disease, hepatitis A, salmonella infection, typhoid and tuberculosis.

HFMD isn't legally notifiable, CDA says, but preschools still report it. ECDA says they must report any suspected or confirmed infectious disease case to ECDA within 24 hours, and tell CDA about measles and about clusters of stomach bugs, HFMD and respiratory illness.

Return dates follow your doctor's MC. The printed rules (read 6 Nov 2026):

• Any illness: ECDA says your child goes back after the MC ends and once there are no symptoms. You don't need a doctor's letter, though the preschool may ask for a check if it has doubts.
• HFMD: CDA says to stay home until the blisters have dried up, or your child has fully recovered, or the MC has expired.
• Strep throat: HealthHub says your child needs at least 24 hours of antibiotics before going back to school.
• Chickenpox: HealthHub says a child is usually infectious from a day or two before the rash until the spots have dried, about a week later, and the MC sets the return date.
• A well brother or sister: ECDA says a child with no symptoms may keep going to preschool.

Common baby illnesses in the first year

Babies get the same colds and stomach bugs as older children. What's different in the first year:

• Blocked noses: HSA suggests fluids, saline nasal drops or a bulb syringe, after a word with your doctor or pharmacist. Our blocked nose guide walks through each one.
• Bronchiolitis and RSV: KKH says bronchiolitis occurs mainly in children under 2, and CDA lists babies under 6 months and premature babies as higher risk for RSV.
• Flu: HealthHub says babies under 6 months face the highest risk but are too young for the jab. A flu jab in pregnancy helps protect them.
• Stomach bugs: watch for dehydration. HealthHub's signs are a dry mouth, crying without tears, fewer wees, sunken eyes and a sunken soft spot on the head.
• Mouth, skin and eyes: oral thrush, rashes, diaper rash and sticky eyes each have their own guide.

Fever medicine has age limits. HealthHub notes that paracetamol is for babies from 3 months and ibuprofen from 6 months, with the dose taken from the label or your doctor. Take your baby to a doctor, or to Children's Emergency, if:

• they're under 3 months with a fever, more than 37.5 degrees C under the arm (NUH), which means Children's Emergency (HealthHub, KKH)
• they aren't feeding or taking fluids well, or have had no wet diaper in 6 to 8 hours and their lips are dry (KKH)
• their breathing looks hard: flared nostrils, sucking in at the chest or ribs, or grunting (HealthHub)
• there's blood or green bile in their vomit (KKH)

When to see a doctor

Start with your GP or a polyclinic for most illnesses. KKH says these doctors treat common conditions in young children and can refer your child to KKH if needed. A child who's alert, plays between fevers and keeps fluids down can usually be seen there. At Children's Emergency the sickest children go first, so KKH says a minor illness may wait several hours. Find a clinic near you on our paediatrician map.

Go to Children's Emergency at KKH or NUH if your child has any of these:

• Breathing that's fast, laboured or noisy, with flared nostrils or the ribs sucking in (HealthHub)
• A fit or seizure. HealthHub says a first febrile seizure needs a doctor straight away.
• Being hard to wake, confused or very lethargic (HealthHub)
• Pale, grey or blue skin, lips or tongue (HealthHub, KKH)
• Bruise-like spots on the skin (HealthHub)
• A temperature above 41 degrees C (HealthHub)
• Drinking much less and passing much less urine than usual (HealthHub)
• Vomiting that won't let them keep fluids down, green vomit, or blood in the vomit or stool (KKH)
• A sudden headache, giddiness or a stiff neck (KKH)
• Bleeding gums or nose, black stools, constant vomiting, tummy pain, restlessness or lethargy after a dengue fever. CDA says these warning signs usually start 1 to 2 days after the fever settles.

Call 995 if your child has stopped breathing or is struggling to breathe, is turning blue, or is unresponsive or having a seizure, as HealthHub advises.

KKH's Children's Emergency is at 100 Bukit Timah Road. NUH's sits next to its Emergency Department at 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, which runs 24 hours. NUH says a referral from a PaedsENGAGE GP gives a $50 subsidy on its emergency fees, subject to terms (read 6 Nov 2026). For a question that isn't urgent, KKH's free U-PAL online advice service runs around the clock.

Frequently asked questions

What are the common illnesses children get at school in Singapore?

HealthHub's list of the most common childhood conditions includes colds, chest infections, stomach flu, HFMD and chickenpox. KKH adds that head lice spread in preschools and schools. Keep your child home while unwell, and tell the school.

What are the most common baby illnesses?

The same colds and stomach bugs as older children, plus bronchiolitis, which KKH says mainly affects children under 2. Fever is where the rule changes: under 3 months, more than 37.5 degrees C under the arm (NUH) means going straight to Children's Emergency.

Which childhood illnesses must be reported in Singapore?

Your doctor reports them, not you. CDA's list includes diphtheria, whooping cough, dengue and measles, among others. HFMD isn't legally notifiable, but preschools must still tell ECDA about any case within 24 hours.

When can my child go back to preschool after being sick?

ECDA says after the MC ends and once your child has no symptoms, with no doctor's letter needed. For HFMD, CDA says to wait until the blisters have dried up, your child has recovered, or the MC has expired.