Providing bird flu vaccines to high-risk groups

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So far, no human cases of infection have been found in Finland, but confirmed cases have been reported in India, the United States, Mexico and other places.

Slender, low metal and wood buildings containing cages; straw exposed outside and scattered on the ground. — Last summer and fall, bird flu infections were detected on some fur farms. Photo: Marcus Lillkvist / Yle

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said on Thursday that bird flu vaccines will soon be available to people at risk of contracting the disease.

The vaccine is intended for veterinarians, people who work with poultry or fur animals, and other people who are at higher risk of contracting avian influenza.

The vaccine is designed to protect against avian influenza infection and severe forms of the disease, which can be spread by dead animals or their secretions.

More than 300,000 fur animals were killed

Avian influenza (A/H5N1) has been present in large numbers in wild birds in the 2020s. Last summer, Finland reported large-scale deaths of wild birds and infections in farmed fur animals, putting humans at risk of infection.

So far, no human cases of infection have been found in Finland, but confirmed cases have been reported in India, the United States, Mexico and other places.

As of October last year, the Finnish Food Authority had ordered the culling of more than 300,000 minks, foxes and raccoon dogs on fur farms to prevent the risk of avian influenza.

Last fall, the agency also confirmed that avian influenza had spread to Wild mammals Such as foxes, lynx and otters, and warned that it could spread to free-roaming dogs and cats.

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