Travel vaccinations for kids in Singapore: what to get, when and where

Travel vaccinations for kids in Singapore start with one appointment, about 4 to 6 weeks before you fly, which is the lead time both the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) and KKH give. Where you're going decides most of the list. If your baby is 6 to 11 months old, you can also ask for an early MMR dose at least 2 weeks before the trip.

How to sort your child's travel vaccines, step by step

1. Look up your destination on the CDC's Travelers' Health pages or the UK's TravelHealthPro. CDA notes that some countries ask for proof of yellow fever or meningococcal vaccination before they let you in.
2. Check your child's routine jabs in the HealthHub app. Its Children's Health section shows records from the National Immunisation Registry, and our vaccination schedule tool shows what's due at each age.
3. Book a travel consult 4 to 6 weeks before you leave, with your own doctor or a travel clinic. HealthHub explains why: most vaccines take 1 to 2 weeks to work, and some need 2 or 3 doses.
4. Ask about an early MMR dose if your baby is 6 to 11 months old. CDA advises 1 dose at least 2 weeks before travel.
5. Bring your itinerary and your child's health booklet. HealthHub says its app records may not be complete.
6. Ask about malaria tablets and a doctor's letter. KKH says to get a letter if your child has a medical condition or needs to bring medicines abroad.
7. Get any yellow fever jab at least 10 days before you fly. CDA says the certificate only becomes valid 10 days after the dose.
8. Pack bite protection and a health kit. Our baby travel packing list and medicine and first aid kit checklist name each item.
9. Tell the doctor where you went if your child falls ill after the trip. CDA asks you to mention a malaria-area trip for any fever within 12 months of it.

Which vaccines a child can have, and from what age

The doctor chooses from this list based on where you're going, how long you'll stay and what you'll do there. Each age is the youngest the named source gives. The CDC's ages are for vaccines licensed in the US, so ask which brand the clinic uses and whether its age limit is different.

Your child also needs the routine jabs on the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule. Our guide to the NCIS walks through each one.

The early MMR dose for babies 6 to 11 months

MMR normally comes at 12 and 15 months in Singapore. Because measles cases are up worldwide, CDA advises that babies aged 6 to 11 months who are travelling get 1 MMR dose at least 2 weeks before they go. Its measles page frames this as a dose your baby may be recommended after a medical check, so the doctor decides.

That early dose is an extra one. CDA says your baby still needs the 12-month dose, given at least 4 weeks after it, and the 15-month dose as usual.

If this is your baby's first trip, our guide to travel after giving birth covers airline age rules, and our baby passport guide covers the passport.

Yellow fever rules for babies too young for the jab

ICA asks for a valid yellow fever certificate from anyone who was in a country with yellow fever risk in the 6 days before arriving in Singapore, and that includes more than 12 hours of airport transit there. The certificate is valid from 10 days after the jab. It lasts for life.

Travellers without a valid certificate can be quarantined for 6 days at a government facility, and ICA's rule covers infants and anyone who can't have the vaccine for medical reasons. The CDC gives 9 months as the usual youngest age. It also says waiting until a baby is older can be considered. Not a Singapore resident? ICA says non-residents who refuse quarantine are denied entry.

The risk countries are in Africa and Latin America, and CDA's yellow fever page names each one, so read it before you book a trip or a long stopover there.

Mosquito-borne illness: what protects a young child

Dengue has no vaccine for young children here. MOH said in 2022 that Singapore's only licensed dengue vaccine is approved for ages 12 to 45, and only after a past dengue infection. For malaria, CDA's advice is preventive medicine from your doctor plus bite protection. These steps come from CDA, KKH and the CDC:

• Sleep in screened or air-conditioned rooms, or under a mosquito net with no tears (KKH).
• Cover strollers and baby carriers with mosquito netting (CDC).
• Dress your child in light-coloured long sleeves and long pants where you can (KKH).
• Use a repellent with DEET, picaridin or IR3535 on exposed skin, and reapply every 4 to 6 hours (CDA).
• Keep repellent off your child's hands and don't let them handle it (KKH). Products with oil of lemon eucalyptus are only for children aged 3 and over (CDC).

Which repellent suits which age is in our mosquito protection guide for kids.

Where to get travel vaccines for children in Singapore

HealthHub says most clinics, polyclinics and hospitals in Singapore offer vaccination services. It also says to check with each clinic on which vaccines it has, so call before you go.

• Your child's own GP or polyclinic is the easiest first stop if you're not sure what your child needs.
• At KKH's Children's Travel Clinic, services are open to children and parents, KKH says. They cover vaccines before the trip and malaria prevention, plus any boosters after you return.
• The Travellers' Health and Vaccination Clinic at TTSH works by appointment only, booked online or on 6357 2222. Its list includes hepatitis A for adults and children, but the page doesn't say which ages it sees, so ask when you book.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor during the trip or after it if your child has any of these:

• A fever after visiting a malaria area, even months later. CDA says to tell your doctor about the trip for any fever within 12 months.
• Fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, a rash or yellowing skin (jaundice) after travel. KKH's travel clinic lists these as signs to get checked.
• An animal bite or scratch. CDA says to wash it with soap and water for 15 minutes, then see a doctor straight away for rabies care.
• Severe diarrhoea: more than 5 to 10 loose stools a day, blood in the stool, or diarrhoea that lasts more than 7 days (CDA).
• A baby under 3 months with a temperature of 38C or higher (NHS).
• Emergency signs, the NHS says, include a stiff neck, a rash that doesn't fade when you press a glass on it, a child who is drowsy and hard to wake, a first fit, or difficulty breathing.

In Singapore, start with your GP or polyclinic for a fever with none of these signs. For something urgent, go to KKH Children's Emergency or NUH Children's Emergency. Call 995 for a life-threatening emergency, as SCDF asks. Abroad, use the local emergency number and tell the doctor where you've been. Our fever checker helps you decide what to do about a fever at home.

Frequently asked questions

What travel vaccines do children in Singapore need?

That depends on the destination. On top of routine jabs, KKH lists vaccines that can prevent typhoid, hepatitis A and B, Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, rabies, meningococcal infection and flu, and a travel consult 4 to 6 weeks before the trip settles which of these your child gets.

Can my baby get an early MMR before travel?

Yes, from 6 months. CDA advises 1 MMR dose at least 2 weeks before travel for babies aged 6 to 11 months. Your baby still gets the usual doses at 12 and 15 months.

Which vaccines before travelling with a baby under 6 months?

Keep the routine schedule on time. The CDC gives 6 months as the youngest age for travel hepatitis A and flu vaccines, CDA's early MMR dose starts at 6 months, and yellow fever vaccine is never given under 6 months. For RSV, see our guide to RSV protection for babies.

Is there a travel clinic in Singapore for children?

Yes. KKH runs a Children's Travel Clinic whose services are open to children and parents. TTSH's travel clinic lists hepatitis A for children but doesn't state which ages it sees, so ask when you call. Your own GP or polyclinic can also vaccinate.

How long before the trip should my child be vaccinated?

Aim for 4 to 6 weeks, as CDA and KKH advise. Yellow fever needs at least 10 days and the early MMR dose at least 2 weeks. Leaving sooner? Book anyway, because the CDC says a first hepatitis A dose given as late as the day of travel is acceptable.

Does my child need a yellow fever certificate to come back to Singapore?

Only if, in the 6 days before arriving, your child was in a country with yellow fever risk or spent more than 12 hours in transit there. Without a valid certificate, travellers, including infants, can be quarantined for 6 days, ICA says.