26 April 2025 – This year’s Meet the Infectious Disease Specialists seminar focused on the latest advances in the treatment and prevention of respiratory tract infections. Titled Targeted Respiratory Vaccinations – Protecting from Infancy to the Elderly, the event placed particular emphasis on the challenges and vaccination strategies relevant to vulnerable age groups, specifically infants and the elderly.
The seminar opened with a welcome address by Dr Lam Mun San, who introduced the key themes and set the tone for the afternoon’s learning sessions.
Dr Ian Wee Liang En presented the first topic, “RSV Vaccination: Protecting the Elderly”. He began with a comparative overview of influenza, RSV, and COVID-19, before highlighting the burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infections among older adults and the importance of newly available RSV vaccines.
Dr Chan Si Min spoke on “RSV – The Changing Landscape for Children”, offering insights into how RSV epidemiology has shifted post-pandemic and the role of preventive measures in paediatric care.
Dr Wong Sin Yew followed with his talk “Protecting against Pneumococcal Infection in the Elderly: Which One?” His session addressed the global and local burden of pneumococcal disease, the diversity of pneumococcal serotypes, and current vaccine coverage. He also discussed the evolving recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination in older adults, offering practical guidance for selecting the most appropriate vaccines based on patient profiles and the recent pneumococcal recommendations using single dose in the elderly.
In her talk on “Vaccine Hesitancy”, Dr Lam distinguished between vaccine hesitancy and vaccine fatigue. She also outlined the key factors contributing to reduced vaccine acceptance, strategies for addressing patient concerns, and the importance of building trust in vaccinations.
The seminar concluded with a Panel Discussion on “COVID Vaccines – Issues & Decisions”, chaired by Dr Lam and joined by all speakers. The discussion was enriched by active participation from family physicians, who shared valuable insights, experiences, and questions, making for a dynamic and thought-provoking session.
We extend our sincere thanks to Pfizer for providing the educational grant that made this event possible. Our heartfelt appreciation also goes to all our guest speakers for their insightful presentations and support in facilitating CME accreditation for family physicians. Finally, we thank all attendees for their participation and valuable contributions, which helped make the seminar a meaningful and collaborative learning experience. We look forward to welcoming the family physicians at our next event!