What you should consider before travelling and feasting this holiday season

With the year-end holiday season in full swing, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) has advised travellers on essential vaccinations, food safety and infection prevention.

- Joyce Teo Senior Health Correspondent

Associate Professor Lim Poh Lian, group director of communicable diseases programmes at CDA, said Singapore residents have been infected with communicable diseases while abroad.

In 2024, five Singapore residents caught malaria and 14 had typhoid, with infection likely from their overseas travel, Prof Lim said.

These diseases can often be prevented with vaccines and medication taken before travelling.

Here, The Straits Times addresses key questions about staying healthy while overseas.

Q Which vaccines are most important for year-end travel?

A Prof Lim advises travellers to get the Northern Hemisphere flu vaccine as many people will encounter cold climates and crowded airports.

In addition, the pneumococcal vaccine is also recommended for healthy adults aged 65 and above, as well as for those under 65 with certain chronic medical conditions such as liver, kidney, heart or lung disease and diabetes.

Q Why is vaccination so important for the elderly traveller?

A As people age, their immunity decreases. This might make diseases like the flu, which might cause only a few days of fever and misery in a 40-year-old, much more serious for someone who is 75 or 80.

In the elderly, diseases like the flu can destabilise existing medical conditions. “So if they are vomiting, have diarrhoea and are dehydrated, and taking diabetes medicines, they could end up with kidney failure, et cetera,” said Prof Lim.

With respiratory infections being prevalent this season, wearing a mask is a good way to protect against things like the common cold rhinovirus, for which there are no vaccines, she added.

Q Which vaccines are needed before travelling to developing countries?

A Travellers heading to developing countries should ensure that they are vaccinated against foodand waterborne diseases like hepatitis A and typhoid fever.