GUEST BLOG: How high does vaccination coverage need to be to establish herd immunity?
In the Rokotustieto.fi guest blog, Mika Rämet, Director of Tampere University’s Vaccine Research Center, explains the factors that have an impact on establishing a vaccination coverage that is sufficient to achieve herd immunity. I am often asked how high vaccination coverage should be in order to establish herd immunity. I dodge the question just […]
Meningococcal vaccination for conscripts and risk groups
In the future, meningococcal vaccination will be given to people with a higher risk of meningococcal diseases due to some other disease they have. Previously, the vaccine was only offered to conscripts and those in voluntary military service. The change has been approved for the National Immunisation Programme and vaccinations have been started in August […]
How are vaccines developed?
Vaccines are one of the greatest achievements in medicine. Developing vaccines is expensive and time-consuming, and a large number of early-stage products never reach the finish line. Vaccine development will only begin when there is a clear need for the vaccine and when it is certain that the vaccine will also be used if […]
Make sure you have the required vaccinations before you travel
Finding out which vaccinations you need a couple of months before you travel is an important part of preparing for your trip. Every traveller should ensure that their vaccinations in the National Immunisation Programme are up to date. The need for other vaccinations depends on the age and state of health of the traveller as […]
HPV vaccinations to begin for 5th graders in autumn 2019
HPV, or human papilloma virus, causes several cancers. It causes infections on the skin and the genitals, and some of the symptomless genital HPV infections develop into cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis and anus. HPV can also cause cancers in the head and neck area. The HPV vaccine helps to prevent cervical cancer […]
World Hepatitis Day on 28 July
World Hepatitis Day is held on 28 July. This day is also the birthday of doctor Baruch Blumberg, an American physician and researcher who discovered the antigen for hepatitis B (HBV) and developed a screening test and vaccine for it. He received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work in 1976. The biggest killer […]
Ticks are on the move – Protect yourself from tick-borne encephalitis
Ticks appear in the spring when the temperature permanently rises above zero. In Finland, ticks are found across the country, excluding the northernmost part of Lapland. Their numbers are highest in coastal areas and the archipelago. Click here to see a distribution map. Ticks carry tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme disease in their saliva. TBE […]
MMR vaccine does not increase a child’s likelihood of becoming autistic, major study affirms
A major study conducted in Denmark has affirmed that the MMR vaccine does not increase a child’s likelihood of becoming autistic. The study monitored more than 650,000 children born in Denmark in 1999-2010 over a period of more than 10 years. The researchers compared the numbers of vaccinated and non-vaccinated children who were diagnosed with […]
Measles in Finland – how to ensure you are protected against this highly contagious disease
There are currently measles epidemics in many European countries where immunization coverage is not sufficiently high. Measles cases have also been observed this winter in Finland; these cases often arrive in Finland as souvenirs from foreign trips. Measles is exceptionally contagious. Those at risk of infection are all those who have not been vaccinated and […]
Vaccinating girls against HPV does not increase their risk of autoimmune disorders
The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has conducted a study of HPV vaccine administered to girls in the years 2013–2015. The study investigated whether the vaccine increases the risk of autoimmune disorders. There were approximately 241,000 subjects in all. Approximately half of them, or 56 percent, received the vaccine. HPV vaccine prevents HPV […]
