Adults Need Vaccines Too

When we talk about vaccines, we normally think of it as something only for babies and children. But that is not exactly right as adults should also be vaccinated against various diseases.

State of Vaccination

In most developed countries, including Singapore and the U.S., free vaccination is provided by the state to babies and young children. That is all well as vaccines are proven to be an effective protection from common illnesses, such as influenza. However, not only children need vaccines – adults need them too.

Why Adults Need Vaccines

Some of our citizens – youth, adults and the elderly – have not been vaccinated when they were young. This makes them more susceptible to diseases that could have been prevented if only free vaccination is available to them. In some cases, adults may not be able to afford the current fee for vaccination, which ranges from $30 to more than $200. This is an often overlooked hindrance for these people from attaining optimum health.

Known Consequences

In the U.S., it was estimated that 3,000 to 50,000 people annually suffer from viral diseases because they have not been vaccinated. The same thing happens in Singapore. Here, despite widespread promotion of vaccines, a recent study found that 600 people still contracted a type influenza that should have been prevented by a vaccine. This makes it clear that adults need vaccines too.

Incorporate to MediSave

A simple way to make free vaccination available to everyone is by incorporating it to our current MediSave as provided by the healthcare system. In particular, we should vaccinate children and adults alike for viral diseases like influenza, different forms of hepatitis, and pneumonia (the third leading cause of death in the country).

By providing vaccines to adults, we won’t only be saving more lives, we can actually also save resources as this will reduce the need for hospital care.