Vaccines A to Z

Vaccines are medicinal products used to prevent infectious diseases as well as secondary diseases, disability and deaths associated with them.

When the prevalence of a disease and the number of those susceptible to it are low, the pathogens have fewer opportunities for spreading. Vaccines also indirectly protect those who could not be vaccinated, for example because of their age or some contraindication. 

The national vaccination programme makes low-cost health benefits available to Finnish people. This means that social welfare and healthcare resources can be diverted from the treatment of infectious diseases to treating and preventing other health problems.

Vaccination coverage in Finland is high. Thanks to vaccinations many diseases and their secondary diseases and complications have become very rare, or they have been eradicated in our country.

Municipalities are responsible for the practical administration of the vaccinations included in the national programme. THL develops the national vaccination programme, monitors and assesses the population level effects of vaccines, and distributes the vaccines of the national programme to municipalities.

Vaccines included in the national vaccination programme

• Rotavirus vaccine
• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib vaccine, or 5-in-1 vaccine, for children (DTaP-IPV-Hib)
• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio vaccine, or 4-in-1 vaccine, for children (DTaP-IPV)
• Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, or DTaP vaccine, for adolescents and adults
• Diphtheria and tetanus vaccine, or DT vaccine, for adults
• Pneumococcal vaccines
• MMR or measles, mumps and rubella vaccine
• Varicella vaccine
• MMRV, or MMR and varicella vaccine
• HPV or human papillomavirus vaccine
• Influenza vaccine
• Polio vaccine
• BCG vaccine
• Hib vaccine
• Hepatitis vaccines
• TBE vaccine or the ‘tick vaccine’
• Meningococcal vaccine