A preemptive bird flu vaccination is being rolled out to workers in Finland who work with animals, explains the country’s health authorities. This move marks Finland as the first country in the world to offer the vaccine.
As part of a statement by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the vaccine is set to be “offered to those aged 18 or over who are at increased risk of contracting avian influenza due to their work or other circumstances.”
Currently, no bird flu virus has been detected in humans, but Finland aims to roll out vaccines given the transmission risks posed by its fur farms.
Speaking to Reuters, Hanna Nohynek, Chief Physician at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, commented, “The conditions in Finland are very different in that we have fur farms where the animals can end up in contact with wildlife.”
“The conditions in Finland are very different in that we have fur farms where the animals can end up in contact with wildlife,” Chief Physician Hanna Nohynek at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) told.
During 2023, roughly 485,000 animals were culled to prevent the virus from spreading, as well as spreading to humans.