The national vaccination programme includes vaccinations against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, measles, whooping cough, mumps, rubella and polio. You can receive the vaccinations free of charge at your local health station. You can book an appointment via Maisa or by calling your local health station.
Occupational health care providers and private clinics also administer all vaccines included in the national vaccination programme.
Instructions from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) state that adults must themselves ensure that they have received the basic vaccination series against tetanus, diphtheria and polio. Municipalities are responsible for administering vaccines included in the national vaccination programme to children and young people at maternity and child health clinics, schools and educational institutions.
Diphtheria and tetanus (dT) vaccine
Protection against diphtheria and tetanus should be maintained at all times. Boosters are administered at the age of 25 (dtap), 45 and 65 years, and then every 10 years.
Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine (DTaP)
You will receive a booster at the age of 14-15 and at the age of 25. Those born in 1993 and after are entitled to receive the DTaP vaccine at the age of 25. If you were born in 1993 or after and did not receive the vaccine at the age of 25, you can still get the booster free of charge.
If you were born before 1993, you are only entitled to a free DTaP vaccine if you work as a healthcare professional. Those working in the health care and social welfare sector are vaccinated against whooping cough if they work at a unit caring for children aged under 12 months. The vaccine provides protection for approximately five years.
Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine
If you were born in 1975 or later in Finland, the MMR vaccine was included in the vaccines administered at maternity and child health clinics.
If you have not received the MMR vaccine or have had any of the diseases mentioned above, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommends that you receive the vaccination.
Polio (IPV) vaccine
People born in 1940 or later in Finland will have received the polio vaccine in accordance with national vaccination programmes at their maternity and child health clinic or school, for example.
If you are planning to travel to an area in which polio is present or return to Finland after staying in such a country for more than four weeks, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recommends that you have a single polio vaccine shot as a booster.
If you were not born or raised in Finland, contact your local health station to be vaccinated in accordance with the national vaccination programme. Please contact your local health station via Maisa or by phone to make a vaccination appointment.
