Finland is gearing up to offer preemptive bird flu vaccinations to some workers next week, becoming the first country in the world to do so. The country has purchased vaccines for 10,000 people as part of a larger EU procurement of up to 40 million doses from manufacturer CSL Seqirus in Australia.
The vaccines consist of two injections and will be offered to individuals aged 18 or over who are at increased risk of contracting avian influenza due to their work or other circumstances. Despite not having detected the virus in humans, Finland is taking proactive steps to protect those at risk, particularly workers at fur and poultry farms.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has had devastating effects on poultry globally and has shown signs of spreading to mammals, including cows in the United States and, on some occasions, humans. Finland’s fur farms are especially vulnerable to transmission due to the animals’ potential contact with wildlife.
Last year, widespread outbreaks of bird flu among minks and foxes at Finland’s fur farms led to the culling of almost half a million animals to prevent further spread. Vaccinations are set to begin next week in some parts of Finland, focusing on workers at high-risk facilities like fur and poultry farms, laboratories handling bird flu samples, and veterinarians in areas with fur farms.
In addition to these groups, individuals working in sanctuaries caring for wild birds, livestock farms, and animal by-products processing plants will also be offered vaccines. If human infection of avian influenza were to occur, close contacts of suspected or confirmed cases would also have the option to receive the vaccine for protection. Finland’s proactive approach to vaccination underscores the country’s commitment to preventing the spread of avian influenza among both animals and humans.