Finland vaccinates people against bird flu to prevent virus transmission

The vaccination program was launched on July 2, in the context of the H5N1 bird flu appearing in many countries. The Nordic country has purchased enough vaccines to vaccinate 10,000 people, each with two doses. This is part of a joint procurement plan of 15 countries in the European Union (EU) to distribute 40 million doses of vaccine to the population. Finland is the first country to implement this vaccination plan.

According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), people who are eligible for vaccination are those aged 18 and over who are at high risk of contracting avian influenza due to their work or other factors. This group includes workers on fur farms, livestock and poultry farms, laboratory technicians who process influenza virus samples, and veterinarians who work in animal control. People who work in conservation areas, wild bird care, and animal by-product processing plants will also be vaccinated. If human cases are detected, close contacts and suspected cases will also be vaccinated.

Finland has not detected any human cases of bird flu, but is keen to introduce vaccination to reduce the risk of transmission from fur farms.

“The situation in Finland is quite unique because we have fur farms where workers come into contact with wild animals,” said Hanna Nohynek, Finland’s director general of the National Institute for Health and Welfare.

An outbreak of bird flu in mink and outdoor fur farms in Finland last year forced the country to cull about 485,000 animals to prevent the virus from spreading to humans.

Avian influenza includes several different strains of influenza A viruses that primarily affect birds, but can also infect non-avian species, including humans. Among the strains, H5N1 is common among wild birds worldwide. Birds transmit the virus through saliva, mucus, and feces, posing a risk to humans and other animals.

In March, H5N1 spread rapidly among dairy herds and to humans in the United States, in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) described as a “cross-state outbreak.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported cases in 101 dairy herds across 12 states, with a few isolated cases in humans. Many scientists were surprised that the virus jumped from cattle to humans.

Previously, many countries such as Cambodia, Chile, China, Australia, the US and the UK recorded small cases of bird flu. Recently, Vietnam also recorded a 21-year-old patient infected with H5N1 flu who later died in Khanh Hoa.