Basic information on vaccines
Vaccination
Vaccines are part of Finnish health care. Children receive the basic vaccinations included in the National Vaccination Programme from child health clinics and school health care, students from student health care, and adults from their local health centre or occupational health care provider.
- The vaccines included in the National Vaccination Programme are free of charge for everyone. People who are in a risk group for a given disease due to an underlying condition or life situation are offered an expanded immunisation schedule free of charge.
- Health centres and occupational health care providers can also provide vaccines that are not included in the National Vaccination Programme. These may be necessary for international travel, for example. Such vaccines are subject to charges.
- Vaccines are also available from private medical centres and travel clinics against payment.
- The majority of vaccines are administered by injection, while some are taken orally or as a nasal spray.
Further reading:
How does vaccination happen in practice?
Regardless of where you to get vaccinated, the vaccine is always administered by a health care professional who has undergone appropriate vaccination training.
- Before the vaccine is administered, the health care personnel confirm that the vaccine is necessary and that there are no medical reasons why the vaccine should not be given. A runny nose and cough are no obstacle to getting vaccinated, but vaccines are not administered to people who have a fever. Some vaccines are also contraindicated for pregnant women.
- A vaccine is usually not administered if the subject is allergic to any of the vaccine’s ingredients. Other allergies do not preclude vaccination.
- For young children, vaccines are typically injected in the thigh. For older children and adults, the usual site of injection is the upper arm. Depending on the vaccine, the injection may be intradermal, subcutaneous or intramuscular. Some vaccines are also administered orally or as a nasal spray.
- The health care professional administering the vaccine must always have epinephrine at hand in case the person being vaccinated has a sudden hypersensitive reaction known as an anaphylactic shock, although this is very rare.
- When people get vaccinated, they also receive information on potential reactions to the vaccine and how to treat them. For example, vaccines that contain attenuated live pathogens may result in an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic illness that may be accompanied by a low-grade fever. The symptoms can be relieved by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Vaccination subjects who experience unexpected or strong symptoms afterwards should contact the health care provider that administered the vaccine or their physician.
- Information on the vaccination is entered in the subject’s health card and patient data record.
Further reading:
Where to get vaccines?
Vaccinations are available from basic health care providers such as health centres and private medical centres. Vaccinations that are not included in the National Vaccination Programme require a prescription.
Who pays for the vaccines?
The vaccines included in the National Vaccination Programme are funded by tax revenue. They are free of charge for everyone. As a rule, other vaccinations must be purchased at one’s own expense.
- Children receive the basic vaccinations included in the National Vaccination Programme from child health clinics or school health care, students from student health care and adults from their local health centre or occupational health care provider free of charge.
- People who are in a risk group for a given disease due to an underlying condition or life situation are offered an expanded immunisation schedule funded by tax revenue.
- Vaccines that are not included in the National Vaccination Programme, such as those taken for the purpose of international travel, are subject to a charge.
- Employers pay for vaccines required by their employees due to work-related reasons and business travel. Employers are compensated for these occupational health care expenses by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.
Further reading
