SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced on Tuesday (Jun 10) that the employers of migrant domestic workers in households with children below the age of seven who’ve not been fully vaccinated against measles must ensure that their helpers have immunity against the disease.
“This measure will enhance our public health resilience and protect unvaccinated young children who are at higher risk of serious health complications from measles infections,” MOM said.
Immunization is available as the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine is administered in two doses, with an interval of at least four weeks between doses. This vaccine is available for helpers at private general practitioner (GP) clinics, whom employers may call for appointments. Employers should shoulder the costs of meeting the immunity requirements for helpers.
Measles, once a common childhood disease, has a safe and effective vaccine, and the number of infections and deaths has been dramatically reduced since mass vaccination programmes were introduced beginning from the 1960s. At some points, the disease was even declared eliminated in certain parts of the world.
However, measles has seen a resurgence in cases in the past few years, in part due to disruptions to vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a rising sentiment against vaccinations in general.
Recently, measles has been in the news in relation to travel, as many parts of the world are entering their summer breaks. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued travel guidance earlier this month, advising its citizens to be vaccinated against measles regardless of their travel destination. In Europe, measles infections are at a 25-year high, according to a report by the BBC on Jun 6. Travelers are similarly being warned to keep their vaccinations up to date.
MOM underlined that measles is highly contagious, and despite Singapore having high vaccination coverage and population immunity, “sporadic cases and small clusters of measles are still expected among individuals who are not immune due to the highly transmissible nature of the disease.”
The ministry also stated that, as Singapore is a major travel hub, the increase in measles cases in Asia and worldwide remains a health risk to those without immunity to the disease. Therefore, the requirement for helpers to be immunized aims to reduce the risk of transmission to young children who are not fully vaccinated.
From Sept 1, employers with children below the age of seven need to declare the following information for helpers’ work permits to be issued or renewed.
- The helper is already vaccinated or immune to measles, or
- All children below seven years old in the household have been fully vaccinated; or
- The helper has not been vaccinated, but a vaccination appointment has been booked for her.
Helpers do not need to be vaccinated if they are already immune to measles or if the children in the household under the age of seven are fully vaccinated against the disease.
Since immunity to measles may be acquired through past infection or vaccination, employers may provide documentary proof to MOM, including proof of vaccination completion, serology test results, or laboratory confirmation of past infection. Employers who have helpers in their households are also encouraged to review the immunity status of their MDW ahead of the permit renewal. /TISG