Some clinics say higher demand for flu jabs could be from under-18s
By Alicia Wong, TODAY | Posted: 25 November 2009 1952 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Some clinics say the demand for seasonal flu jabs has gone up.

Dr Vincent Chia, Healthway Medical's deputy director for primary care, believes the increased demand could come from those under-18, who are not eligible for the H1N1 vaccine.

Healthway Medical, which has 54 clinics, has seen a 30 per cent jump in seasonal flu vaccinations this month.

Compared to the same period last year, SingHealth Polyclinics saw a 26 per cent increase in seasonal flu vaccinations between September 1 and November 24.

National Healthcare Group Polyclinics' take-up rate has "more than doubled" during this period, compared to the past two years.

Both institutions said they have enough supply to meet demand.

But not all clinics are seeing a rise in seasonal flu jabs. Dr Chng Shih Kiat, deputy medical director at Raffles Medical, which has 72 clinics, said interest has been "similar" to previous years.

GlaxoSmithKline, which manufactures the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines, said it had "experienced an increase in demand for its seasonal flu vaccine" and brought in "significant amounts" to meet local demand.

It will continue to review if manufacturing the H1N1 vaccine has any impact on its other vaccines and "has business continuity plans in place to reduce the impact on other vaccines", said a spokesperson.

However, Dr Leslie Tay of Karri Family Clinic, which has seen a 20 to 30 per cent rise in seasonal flu vaccinations, pointed out that demand could fall as Singaporeans may switch to the H1N1 vaccinations.

But the Ministry of Health and doctors are advising patients, in particular the high-risk group, to take both vaccines for protection against two different strains of the virus. Healthway Medical, for one, offers a promotion for patients getting both vaccines. The vaccines should be taken at least one week apart.

"The seasonal flu is still dominant at the moment in Singapore," noted Dr Chng.

Preliminary figures on the Ministry of Health's website show that 3 in 10 patients with influenza-like illness in the community have H1N1. - TODAY/vm