ECHO: Register for your Health Screening now!

Tampines ECHO Video from CGH CA on Vimeo.

For those of you who have not had Health Screening done before, now you can do it for as low as $2 as part of the Eastern Community Health Outreach initiative.  Its time to do some maintenance work!

More info can be found here:  http://echohealth.com.sg/

For those who want a more comprehensive package, we also offer packages starting from $60 at our clinic.  Do come by the clinic and have a chat with our doctor who can cater a package to your needs.

Hep A outbreak in Malaysia: Protect yourself with the Hep A vaccine!

There has recently been a report of an outbreak of Hep A in Terengganu, Malaysia.  If you are planning a trip to the region, please get yourself vaccinated with the Hep A vaccine.  You will need two jabs over six months, but even after the first jab, you will get 85% protection by 2 weeks and 100% protection by 3 weeks.

Hep A is easily contracted through exposure to contaminated food and water and is highly recommended for visitors planning to travel to regions like South East Asia and South Asia.

The Hep A vaccine is available at our clinic at $110 nett.

Kids to get two MMR vaccines at 12 and 15 months

MOH has announced that from 1 Dec 2011, all children will need to have 2 MMR vaccines at 12 and 15 months.  Currently, they are only required to have one at 15 months followed by a booster at primary one.

The reason for this is because there have been measles cases reported in Singapore.  By completing the 2 courses, the child will have earlier protection against measles.

It is also advised that older children who have already taken the first MMR also complete the course instead of waiting till primary one.

You now have the option of including the chickenpox vaccine as part of the MMR vaccination.  The combined vaccine is called MMRV and contains Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Chickenpox vaccines.  It is a convenient way of protecting your children against an additional disease.  Our package for your child's 2nd year vaccines include 2 MMRV at 12 and 15 months and the 5 in One booster at 18 months.  The package costs $340nett and includes the consultation fees.

The MMR vaccine without chickenpox is also available at our clinic.

Read the ChannelNewsAsia article.

Protect your kids with a Prevenar 13 booster

I have just returned from a weekend conference on pneumococcal disease and am reminded yet again on how the disease can be very severe to young children.  If you haven't already done so, please have your kids vaccinated against pneumococcal disease in the first year of life.  The MOH recommendations are for three doses of pneumoccocal vaccine to be administered at 3 months, 5 months and 1 year old.

For those kids who have been vaccinated prior to 2010 and are between 2 and 5 years of age, you might want to get a booster dose of the latest pneumoccocal vaccine which covers and extra 6 different strains of the pneumococcal bacteria.  The original pneumococcal vaccine covered 7 strains but the latest one covers 13 strains.  So with an extra booster, you will be able to extend the vaccine coverage for your kids.

Lately there has been news about some kids who have still fallen ill even though they had been vaccinated with the pneumococcal vaccine.  You can read the story here.  This is because there are many strains of the bacteria and the original vaccine did not cover all of them.  One strain of particular importance is the strain 19A which has been causing pnuemoccocal disease worldwide.  The good news is that the latest pneumococcal vaccine will confer immunity to strain 19A.


If your child has already completed the pneumococcal vaccine and are between 2 to 5 years of age, do check with the doctor if he/she has been covered with the latest pneumococcal vaccine.  One booster dose is all that is required to give them wider protection.

One dose of the Prevenar 13 vaccine costs $140 nett at our clinic and includes GST and injection fees.  Our 3 dose package is $405 nett.  These rates are for cash and Baby Bonus.  Medisave can also be used but admin charges will apply.

Cervical Awareness Month: Protect your daughter against Cervical Cancer

It's Cervical awareness month again. So here is a timely reminder for all parents that you can protect your daughter against Cervical Cancer by giving her a vaccine when she reaches 9 years of age.

The vaccine is actually already in the National Immunization program for girls from 9 to 26 years of age. So you can withdraw $300 from Medisave to pay for the vaccine if you wish. The price for the Medisave Package is $420

If you are able to pay by cash or nets, we are giving you a further discount and the package is $390 nett. This special price is valid while the current stocks of vaccines last.


Medisave price is $420

What to do when you get a Burn

Burnt with hot oil

When I was a kid, I remember playing hide and seek with my friend and I hid under my father's writing desk. Unfortunately, our helper had kept her hot iron under the desk too and I suffered a burn to my left arm. The first thing she did was to put toothpaste on the wound. I only have a vague memory of what happened after that, but that 8 cm scar is still visible on my left arm to remind me of what happened.  It's a good thing it wasn't my face or I might be given the nickname, "Scar".

This is a very short post to tell you one thing. When you get a scald or a burn, the first thing you should do is to put the affected area under running tap water for 10 to 15 mins. Once the pain subsides, go see the doctor. Of course if it is just a small burn about the size of a coin or two, then you may not need to see the doctor. But if it is relatively large and especially if it affects any of the joints or has blistered, then it is advisable to seek medical help.

Would you all please instruct your home helpers, viz maids, grandma, grandpa and whoever is looking after your child about this today so that they know what to do.

Safety of Seafood from Japan

I have written an article on radiation and how it affects the food we eat. 

In essence, because of the stringent controls in place, we can be confident that the food imported from Japan is safe. The article will also explain the different types of radiation and how radiation causes cancer.

Click here to read.

Common Bicycle Accident in Kids: Parents please be careful!

Common Bicycle injury in kids

I just saw another case of this type of bicycle accident where the child is riding in front of the bicycle and inadvertently got his leg trapped in the spokes of the spinning wheel.

May I remind parents to be extra vigilant when you have kids riding in front of the bicycle.  Here are some things you might want to do:

1.  Make sure the child wears proper shoes and socks.  This child was wearing a pair of slippers only.  If he had a proper pair of shoes and thick socks, the injury would not have been so bad.

2.  Please make sure you have one of those bicycle seats where the child can place his legs inside the plastic foot rests.  Make sure that the seat is big enough such that the child can stretch his legs past the seat into the spokes of the wheel.

3.  Seating the child at the back of the bicycle is better than in front as it lessens the chance of the leg getting caught in the spokes of the wheels.

4.  Always remind the child that riding a bicycle is potentially dangerous and he must sit still and not play around while the bicycle is in motion.

5.  Not many people do this in Singapore, but it is always safer if you can wear a helmet.  In Australia, this is compulsory.  I have come across one case where the child fell from a bicycle and hit her head against the drain.  She subsequently had to have an emergency surgery to evacuate a blood clot in the head.

Japan drug panel finds no link between Vaccinations and Deaths of Children

You might have heard the news that there have been some concern In Japan about the pneumoccocal and Act-Hib vaccines.  The latest report published by the Japanese drug safety panel has stated clearly that following investigations, they have found no link between five infants who died this month and the Pfizer vaccine Prevenar 7 as well as the Sanofi vaccine Act Hib.

I have been assured by the Pfizer representative here in Singapore that our batch of vaccines are different from the ones used in Japan.  We are currently administering the latest Prevenar 13 vaccines which are manufactured in England whereas the Japanese Prevenar 7 are from the US.

So far Prevenar has been in the market for the last decade and there has not been any major safety concerns after 360 million doses have been distributed.  In Japan alone, 2 million doses have been distributed and this is the first time there has been any concern about the vaccine. Japan has suspended the use of the vaccines in order to find the root cause.  But as far as their drug safety panel are concerned, there is no link between the vaccinations and the deaths.

All the other countries who are administering Prevenar 13 will continue to administer the vaccine.  In Singapore the HSA has not issued any warnings about using the vaccine.

Parents should be rest assured that the vaccine is safe.

I will continue to keep you posted on any future developments.

Link to news article.

Karri Family Clinic now offers Anti Aging Consultation

If you are over 40 and sometimes just feel like you don't have as much energy as before, you probably think that its just because you are getting old, and you are probably right. But nowadays, there is a new branch of medicine that looks at these issues and may offer some solutions to your "mid life crisis".

There are tests that can be done to determine why you are not as energetic as before and an effective solution may be as simple as taking a supplement or applying a gel.

Dr Suren Baskaran  is an American Board Certified Anti Aging doctor and a senior partner of the clinic.  He will consulting at Karri Family Clinic on Saturday mornings by appointment.  So if you wish to do a health screening with an emphasis on Anti Aging, please call our clinic to make an appointment.

First Consultation charge:  $50
Screening packages start from $150

Dr Tay's Book is now available at our clinic

 My new book which talks about Singapore's Hawker Heritage and recommendation of all the best places to eat is now available for sale at our clinic at $25.  The proceeds will are donated to Goducate to build schools for the kids in Sandakan.

Karri Family Clinic featured on Zao Bao Weekend as The Kids Friendly Clinic located in Tampines Central Community Complex

Here's the translation

A Kid's Paradise

The Doctor who blogs

Karri Family Clinic

Like many kids, Buddy feels apprehensive when seeing the doctor, unless of course he is seeing Dr Tay.

This particular family doctor who is also a well known food blogger, loves to have kids in his clinic, which is why his clinic is stocked with tons of surprises for his little patients.  His motto is "They might walk in crying, but they will walk out with a smile on their face".  Buddy loves not only watching this Doctor sculpt his balloon art, but is also amazed at the stickers and various knick knacks that he keeps in the clinic to entertain his little friends.

His patients are very familiar with Doctor Tay, some of whom are regular readers of his food blog, ieatishootipost.sg.  The forty year old doctor had returned from living overseas a few years back and realised that he had missed out on all the wonderful food in Singapore and decided to make it his mission to blog about all the famous stalls.

Besides blogging about food, Dr Tay also writes a clinic blog, www.karrifamilyclinic.com.sg to keep his patients updated on the latest medical news and to educate his patients on different aspects of keeping healthy.

Prevenar 13: Official launch and Charity Event

Prevenar 13, the latest vaccine in the prevention of pneumococcal disease was officially launched on 23 October. The company marked the launch by organizing a charity event where the new vaccine was given to underprivileged children. I was very honored to have been invited to be one of the volunteer doctors for the event.


Link to AsiaOne Website

The new pneumoccal vaccine will replace the old vaccine and provide an even broader coverage against the deadly pneumococcal disease.


Our Package of 3 jabs for the new vaccine is $405 nett if you are using cash or Babybonus.  If you are using Medisave, then the package is $450 nett   You are able to deduct $300 from your Medisave account to pay for the pneumococcal vaccine.

Latest Pneumoccocal Vaccine: Prevenar 13, now available at Karri Family Clinic

The latest Pneumoccocal vaccine, Prevenar 13 is now available at Karri Family Clinic.  Prevenar 13 is an updated version of Prevenar and includes a wider coverage and thus better protection for your babies.

You can now withdraw $300 from your Medisave account to pay for your Pneumococcal Vaccines at our clinic.  The package for 3 jabs is $450, nett.  We offer a further discount for those who are paying by cash or baby bonus.  The Babybonus/cash package for 3 jabs is $405, nett.  Individual jabs are $140 nett, payable by cash or Babybonus.

Parents with kids below 5 who have completed the course of Prevenar can opt to take one jab of the new Prevenar 13 to broaden the coverage for their kids.

Doctor is my Child too Fat?: New BMI-for-age cut offs for children

Actually, not many parents come to the clinic worrying that their kids are too fat.  Most parents come to the clinic complaining that their kids are not eating well and are too thin.

I think that there needs to be a fundamental change in the thinking of parents concerning their children's weight.  In many Asian cultures, fat is seen to be good because traditionally, food is scarce, so only those who are really well off can afford to feed their kids well.  So fat kids are seen as a sign of properity.  However, in Singapore now, we are seeing an epidemic of kids who are really too fat.  Obese kids who grow up to be obese adults who run the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol levels etc.

The Health Promotion Board has recently released new BMI for age charts which I have uploaded here on the website.  BMI is short for Body Mass Index and it is a way to determine if your child is over or underweight.  But unlike adults, kids of different age groups have different BMI ranges.  So that is why in order to find out if your child is indeed overweight, you need to first work out his BMI and then compare it on the BMI for age percentile chart.

So here is how to use the BMI for age charts:



Here is the chart for boys.:



Here is the Chart for Girls:



Once you have worked out the percentile you child is in, use this next chart to determine if he is over or underweight.  Then see what is the suggested advise for your child.



More information on www.knowyourbmi.sg/children

If you are concerned about your child's weight, do visit the clinic for a checkup.  Some kids are overweight because of underlying problems and these need to be excluded.

Reference: Understanding and Using BMI for age charts:  HPB, August 2010