Vaccination coverage of young children is good in Finland - still very few children are unvaccinated
The vaccination coverage of young children in the national vaccination programme remains very good in Finland. In addition, children are very rarely unvaccinated. This information is provided by the Finnish vaccination register.
97% of all children born in 2019 have received the 5-in-1 vaccination, which protects them against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Hib diseases. The figure is slightly lower than that of children born in 2018, but the reason for this probably lies in the transfer of data.
"There have been more shortcomings in the transfer of data in areas where a large number of children are born. These shortcomings also lower the national coverage figures. In a very large number of municipalities, all children receive the 5-in-1 vaccination and two out of three municipalities clearly exceed the national level,” says THL Chief Physician Ulpu Elonsalo.
Approximately 96% of children born in 2019 have received the pneumococcus vaccine. The hospital districts of South and North Savo and Kymenlaakso have the highest coverage. Of all Finnish municipalities, almost two out of three exceed the national coverage level.
93% of children born in 2019 have received the vaccine against rotavirus. This is the same figure as for children born in 2018. The popularity of the chickenpox vaccine has increased every year since the vaccine became part of the vaccination programme in 2017. About 86% of the children born in 2019 have been vaccinated against chickenpox.
Efforts should be made to keep the coverage of MMR vaccinations high
According to the vaccination register, approximately 95% of those born in 2019 have received the first dose of the MMR vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
"When examined at the national level, the MMR vaccination coverage has remained at 95 per cent for a long time. More extensive epidemics are unlikely, but the risk of local epidemics increases, especially in the case of measles, which spreads easily, if the MMR vaccination coverage remains repeatedly at this level or lower,” explains Mia Kontio, Chief Specialist at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
"At the same time, it is good to keep in mind that other things also affect the risk of an epidemic, for example the type of area and the proportion of the adult population in the area that has been protected against measles either by vaccination or by having contracted it during childhood,” adds Kontio.
Children are still very rarely unvaccinated in Finland
In Finland very few children are unvaccinated. A child is considered unvaccinated if they have not received any of the rotavirus, pneumococcus, MMR, MPRV, the 5-in-1 or 4-in-1 vaccines.
The proportion of unvaccinated children has remained stable for several years. Only approximately one per cent of all children have not received any basic vaccinations offered as part of the national vaccination programme by the age of three. By the age of eight, only 0.7 per cent of children have not received their basic vaccinations.
Work to improve data transfer continues
Data on vaccination coverage is based on the current data in the national vaccination register. Because of problems related to the recording of vaccinations and data transfer, the actual vaccine coverage may be higher than the figures in the national vaccination register might suggest.
“By increasing the level of cooperation between parties carrying out vaccinations, Electronic Patient Record providers and administrators and the National Institute for Health and Welfare, we can obtain even more accurate coverage figures. It is important that cooperation also remains close with future wellbeing services counties,” says Elonsalo.
Further information
Map of children's vaccination coverage (THL)
Map presenting the percentages of unvaccinated children in different regions and throughout Finland
Vaccination programme for children and adults (THL)
Ulpu Elonsalo
Chief Physician
THL
[email protected]
Mia Kontio
Chief Specialist
THL
[email protected]
