Finland became the first in the world to introduce bird flu vaccination

Finland will be the first in the world to offer preventive vaccination against avian influenza for some animal handlers. It was reported by Reuters.

Australian company CSL Seqirus said Finland would be the first country to use its vaccine.

“The vaccine will be offered to people aged 18 and over who have a higher risk of contracting avian influenza due to their work or other circumstances,” the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) said in a statement.

Finland has already bought vaccine doses from the manufacturer CSL Seqirus for 10 thousand people at risk. Each of these doses consists of two injections. Preventive immunization is likely to begin next week.

First of all, they plan to vaccinate poultry and fur farm workers, laboratory technicians who process avian influenza samples, and veterinarians who work in regions where there are farms.

Vaccinations will also be given to people who work in nature reserves, raise wild birds, work on animal farms or in cleaning jobs (for example, in factories that process by-products of animals).

In the case of bird flu infection, the vaccine will also be offered to people who have been in contact with the sick person.

Last year, an outbreak of bird flu among minks and foxes on Finnish fur farms reportedly led authorities to cull about 485,000 animals to prevent the virus from spreading.

We remind you that in Mexico, a 59-year-old man died from a new strain of bird flu A(H5N2). This is the first death in the world, as well as the first laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with this influenza virus.

Last year, China recorded the world’s first human death from bird flu.