Measles immunity required for domestic workers in households with unvaccinated children under age 7: MOM

Migrant domestic workers employed by households that have a child below seven years old, and who is not vaccinated against measles, must be immunised against the disease from Sep. 1, 2025, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced in a press release on Jun. 10.

This is to "enhance our public health resilience and protect unvaccinated young children who are at higher risk of serious health complications from measles infections", MOM said.

When applying for or renewing work permits for domestic workers from September, employers with children under the age of seven must declare the following information:

• The domestic worker is already vaccinated against or is immune to measles
• All children under seven years old have been fully vaccinated against measles
• The domestic worker is not yet vaccinated against measles, but a vaccination appointment has been booked

Employers with existing domestic workers are also encouraged to check their immunity status before applying for a permit renewal, MOM stated.

Provide proof

Immunity to measles can be acquired either through a past infection or vaccination.

Employers will have to provide documentary proof of either case to MOM, through a proof of completion of vaccination, serology test result, or laboratory confirmation of the past infection.

All costs incurred, either through vaccination of measles serology tests, will be borne by employers.

The domestic worker will not have to be vaccinated if she is already immune to measles, or if all children under seven years old in the household have been fully vaccinated against measles.

Vaccination against measles in Singapore is through the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is applied in two doses at least four weeks apart.

They are available for domestic workers at private general practitioner (GP) clinics and cost between S$80 and S$140.

MOM also stated that sample checks will be conducted and documentary proof of immunity may be requested to enforce the new measure.

Employers found to have breached the rules may have their work pass privileges suspended until they submit vaccination proof.

There have been 11 cases of measles being reported in Singapore from Dec. 29, 2024 to May 2025, according to the Ministry of Health's (MOH) infectious disease bulletin.

Top image via Canva