The rotavirus vaccine was added to the National Immunisation Programme in 2009. Since that time, the instances of hospital treatment caused by the rotavirus have decreased by as much as 93% among children under five years of age.
According to the latest human papillomavirus vaccination coverage report by the national vaccination register, 70 per cent of Finnish girls born in 2004, i.e. girls who are 13 years old this year, have received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.
There is a worrying measles epidemic in Europe, with hundreds of new cases reported during the summer. Of the five cases reported in Finland, the most recent one was an adult who had not been vaccinated against measles.
Few adults remember to get their booster vaccines.
Chickenpox vaccinations will begin in September. In the first round, the vaccine will be administered to children from 1.5-year-olds to fifth-graders who have never had chickenpox. Children will be vaccinated in conjunction with their routine check-ups. For school pupils, this will take place in the school nurse’s office, while younger children will receive their vaccinations at child health clinics.
The Hepatitis B vaccine for children in the National Immunisation Programme will change from Engerix-B to HBVAXPRO 5 µg. The vaccine is intended for children under 16 years of age.
The MMR vaccine, which provides immunity against mumps, rubella and measles was added to the National Immunisation Programme in 1982. People who were born in the late 1960s and early 1970s, who are now entering their fifties, are likely to have never received this vaccination.
The Reliable information on vaccines project organised Vaccines Work, a morning seminar for media and journalists at the Pharmaceutical Information Centre on Tuesday, 25 April 2017 as part of the WHO European Immunisation Week 2017 event. The seminar featured two expert talks and the publication of the results of a population survey.
Cases of measles have increased in the European countries in which vaccination coverage has fallen below the critical level of 95 per cent. The highest numbers of new infections are in Italy and Romania.
The vaccination coverage in Finland remains mostly at a good level, but it is already too low in certain regions. According to Hämeenlinna-based maternity and child health clinic physician Anu Mähönen, vaccine skepticism has increased slightly.
Measles was eradicated from Finland in the 1990s thanks to good vaccination coverage, but the disease has returned during the past decade.
The number of whooping cough cases has doubled in Finland over the past year. The National Institute for Health and Welfare’s register of infectious diseases (in Finnish) shows that there were 386 confirmed cases by December 2016, compared to only 165 the previous year.
Influenza is a disease that can take many forms, and sometimes it comes with no symptoms at all. At its worst, it can put a previously healthy person in intensive care and even lead to death. Approximately half a million people contract influenza in Finland each year.
The target group for Hepatitis B vaccination will be expanded from November onwards to include three new groups of children as well as men who have sex with men. The Hepatitis B vaccine prevents serious viral hepatitis.
A new study on the HPV immunisation programme uses mathematical modelling to estimate that vaccinating only girls can prevent nearly all infections caused by the human papillomaviruses HPV16 and HPV18.
The Vaccination Competence Training Module introduced in autumn 2015 has received wide praise from public health nurse, registered general nurse and midwife students.
The Ministry of Finance has proposed that the chickenpox vaccine be included in the National Immunisation Programme. The vaccine’s inclusion in the programme has been suggested for several years by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the National Institute for Health and Welfare and the national vaccination expert group.
Whooping cough is a serious illness that can be life-threatening to infants. A decline in vaccination coverage and the adaptation of the bacteria that cause whooping cough have seen the number of cases increase in recent years, even in the developed world. The situation in Finland remains good compared to other European countries thanks to the active administration of booster shots.
Experts have long been unanimous in saying that the chickenpox vaccine should be included in the universal immunisation schedule in Finland. One of the proponents of the vaccine is Professor Timo Vesikari, Director of the Vaccine Research Centre at the University of Tampere.
The dosing of the papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), which prevents cervical cancer, under the National Immunisation Programme will change from a three-dose vaccination protocol to a two-dose protocol in August 2016.