Useful vaccines to consider

Vaccine	Why it’s useful	Number of doses required
Pneumococcal vaccine for babies	Each year, about 70 children end up in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital with a serious form of pneumonia.	Three doses
Pneumococcal vaccine for adults and the elderly	Pneumonia is the third biggest killer here, killing over 2,000 people a year.	One dose
Rotavirus	Causes severe diarrhoea in babies.	Two doses are needed between the ages of six and 24 weeks
Human papillomavirus	Causes cervical cancer in women.	Three doses
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)	Causes meningitis or inflammation of the brain lining, especially in children under the age of five.	One to three doses, depending on the infant’s age
Seasonal flu	Can cause severe illness and sometimes, death.	One dose
H1N1 vaccine	Even though it is less deadly than initially thought, H1N1 spreads more rapidly and affects younger people and pregnant women more severely.	One dose
Hepatitis B	Major cause of liver cancer and liver failure.	Three doses
Hepatitis A	Can cause fever, nausea and jaundice. Vaccine is especially useful for seafood lovers.	Two doses are recommended
Chicken pox	Can be more severe in older children and adults.	1-12 years old: One dose 13 years and above: Two doses
Shingles	A painful condition that is more common in older adults.	One dose