Adults receive vaccinations under the national adult immunisation programme at health and social services centres free of charge.
The vaccinations under the adult immunisation programme protect against three diseases: diphtheria-tetanus, tetanus and pertussis.
As an adult, you self should ensure that you have received the necessary tetanus, diphtheria and polio vaccines. In addition you should ensure that you get the booster vaccinations to the vaccinations you received when you were a child or adolescent.
Adults who did not receive vaccinations under the national immunisation programme when they were children or adolescents may receive these vaccinations at health and social services centres.
It is not compulsory to have the vaccinations but it is recommended.
Yes. As an adult, you should ensure that you receive booster vaccinations in addition to the vaccinations you received when you were a child or young adult.
The most important booster is the one for diphtheria-tetanus. The booster must be taken at the age of 25, 45 and 65, and thereafter every 10 years. You may have it more frequently, if necessary; for example, in the event of accidents. Vaccinations are available at health and social services centres. The vaccine for 25-year-olds also includes a booster vaccine for whooping cough (pertussis). This vaccine is also offered to pregnant women and patients who have received stem cell transplants.
In Finland, there is generally no need to have a polio booster vaccination if you are not travelling to risk areas or you will not be coming into contact with anyone arriving from a risk area.
You will need an MMR combination booster vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella if you did not receive it twice when you were a child. You do not need to be vaccinated if you have had these diseases.
Vaccinations under the national immunisation programme are always free of charge to everyone. Boosters for adults under the programme are also always free.
If you are under the age of 65, basically healthy and you do not belong to the risk groups but you want to have an influenza vaccination, you will pay the costs of it yourself.
You can check the vaccinations you have had using the vaccination card you received from the health care. Details of vaccinations are now also available from the national patient information system, but there is no old vaccination information available there. Before there were electronic systems, details of vaccinations were only recorded on everyone’s own vaccination card, and the information on them was not transferred to the electronic patient information system. If your vaccination card is lost you may remember where you were given the vaccinations and can contact these places. You may also enquire at your health and social services centre.
If you have moved to Finland from abroad, it may not be possible to check your vaccination details at all. The health care staff will ask you about vaccination protection, assess the situation and decide accordingly whether or not there is a need for additional vaccinations in Finland.
Adults in risk groups or those resident in risk areas are entitled to vaccinations for tick-borne encephalitis, hepatitis and meningococcal disease free of charge.
Influenza vaccinations are given to
The vaccine against tick-borne encephalitis is administered for free to all people older than 3 years whose municipality of residence in Finland is in one of the areas at risk or who spend long time periods there, for example during vacations. See the list of the areas at risk for tick-borne encephalitis on the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (In Finnish)Opens in a new window..
Vaccinations against hepatitis A and B are available free of charge to those with haemophilia or who inject drugs. The vaccination may also be available to
This combination vaccine is also recommended for people working in certain occupations, as well as for those traveling to countries where both hepatitis A and B occur.
The hepatitis B vaccination is also available free of charge to
Meningococcal vaccine is available to those who have
Also the following persons may exceptionally receive this vaccine:
Patients who have received stem cell transplants are, following treatment, more prone than normal to many vaccine preventable diseases. Because of this their basic programme of vaccinations has to be begun again from the start following treatment.
Also pneumococcal vaccine is offered to the persons belonging to high-risk groups. Read more about pneumococcal vaccinations on Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare´s website (in Finnish)Opens in a new window..
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