Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Flu Vaccine is in Stock

Thanks for all who were patiently waiting for the current Season Flu vaccine to come in. We are pleased to announce that we managed to obtain a batch of the Flu vaccine. Stocks are limited, so please call in to reserve the vaccines for your family.

The H1N1 vaccine will not be available at least till the end of the year. So in the meantime, it is important to vaccinate your family against the flu. In particular, the elderly, pregnant moms in their third trimester, kids with asthma or respiratory problems and people with chronic diseases should have their Flu vaccines done.

Please note that if you are going overseas, you need to take your flu shots at least 3 weeks before departure. A lot of patients have the mistaken idea that it should be done as close to the date of departure as possible. The body needs time to develop immunity after vaccination, just like yeast needs time to rise. So you need to wait at least 2-3 hours for the dough to rise. Similarly, you need 3 weeks for the body to develop immunity after any vaccination.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Dr Tay,

Can i check it out. Does Flu Vaccinate cause side affect?
what kind of condition not advise to have this Flu Vaccinate?

Thks!

Dr Leslie said...

It can cause side effects if you are allergic to eggs. Othrewise it is quite safe.

Anonymous said...

Dr Tay,

Flu vaccination which you'd stated need (3)weeks to develop. Yes. we always overlooked which the day before fly and go for vaccine. So mean not working if vaccine right?After vaccine does it caused Fever & Pain?

Dr Leslie said...

Well it is still better to take than not to take.

The vaccine can cause fever and a bit of pain over the injection site.

Sophia said...

Hi Dr Tay,

Though flu vaccine is not a compulsory jab, do you think it is essential to give the jab to my 3 years old son as we may fly to HongKong in Dec.

Dr Leslie said...

Well it is always better to be safe than sorry. But it really boils down to what kind of person you are. Do you buy travel insurance for the trip? If you did, you probably would want to give your son the flu jab.

Jason said...

Dear Dr Tay,

I'm wondering if you would carry the H1N1 vaccination? Would it be advisable as I'm currently in Norway and will be back to Singapore in December after 5 months in Europe. I've taken the Influenza Flu vaccination before leaving Singapore.
I would like to gather your recommendation.

Thanks!

Sophia said...

Hi Dr Tay,

Will it be better to go for flu jab or H1N1 jab for my trip to HK in Dec?

Dr Leslie said...

Ideally you would need both.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dr Tay
For my coming trip to USA in Dec, should I take the flu jab or the H1N1 flu jab or both?

Sophia said...

Hi Dr Tay,

Thanks for the response. Does it mean that both shots (Flu and H1N1) will be administered at the same time? Does that also applies to kids as well?

Dr Leslie said...

The H1N1 is not approved for kids. For adults, you can take both at the same time.

Penny said...

Hello Dr Tay,

I am due to leave for US on 15 Nov, what would you recommend for me and my family (with kids below 7 yrs old)?
(My family is not traveling but I would like to have them protected)

We have no flu jabs previously and it looks like it's kind of late to take flu jab in time for 15 Nov.

I have left my name with your clinic nurse for H1N1 vaccine.

Anonymous said...

Dr Tay,
My 2 year old daughter used to have very good immune system and hardly falls sick until she started going to daycare 4 months ago. She's been having viral infection and flu every month ever since. Should I bring her to take the flu vaccine? Will it help her to be immune to most virus and flu bugs?

Dr Leslie said...

You should still go ahead to take the flu jab. You get a level of protection even though it is not the highest level.

To anonymous no. 2, when kids start going to childcare, they get exposed to lots of different viruses, so it is a common thing to see when kids start going to childcare. The flu jab and pneumococcal jabs will help to prevent some of these.

Anonymous said...

Hi Dr Tay,

My son (3yrs) taken flu vaccine abt a month ago, as he be going USA with us very soon, we thinking to let him take the Swine jab too. Pls help to advice whether there's a need and is it okie to take flu n swine jab within 2months? Any side effect? Thanks!

Dr Leslie said...

The H1N1 vaccine is not approved for kids below 18 yet.

JKum said...

Hi Dr Tay,

I would be sending my son to childcare soon. Would you recommend he takes the flu jab. He is now 2 years old. Will this jab cause any side effect?

FYI, he has taken other jabs like MMR, Pneumococcal, and Chickenpox before.