MMR Vaccination Outreach Programme for Long-term Foreign Residents and Measures to Enhance Detection of Important Cases

9 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination outreach will be conducted for long-term foreign residents; (b) what measures are in place to detect imported cases; and (c) under what thresholds will border surveillance be reconsidered given that the majority of recent cases had travel history.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Since February 2019, all foreign-born children aged 12 years and below applying for long-term immigration passes in Singapore have to be vaccinated or be immune against measles. This is also required for healthcare workers, preschool staff and migrant domestic workers working in households with young children.

Measles is a legally notifiable disease in Singapore. All medical practitioners and laboratories are required to notify the Ministry of Health within 24-hours of clinical suspicion or laboratory diagnosis. The Communicable Diseases Agency investigates all notified measles cases, including imported cases and implements appropriate public health actions.

Singapore maintains high vaccination coverage for measles, which provides a robust herd immunity and limits the spread in the community. Hence, border measures are not required at this juncture.