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Finland to vaccinate whole population if bird flu pandemic breaks out
Finland to vaccinate whole population if bird flu pandemic breaks out
HELSINGIN SANOMAT
INTERNATIONAL EDITION - HOME
You arrived here at 02:30 Helsinki time Sunday 19.3.2006
Health care workers to be given priority
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has plans to vaccinate all Finns if a pandemic of bird flu breaks out. However, the question of who gets inoculated first depends on the seriousness of the situation.
According to an action plan drawn up by a working group preparing for a possible outbreak, the first in line for the vaccine, which is yet to be developed, will be health care personnel caring for patients who have caught the disease.
If the pandemic proves to be as serious as the Spanish Flu in 1918, inoculations of the whole population would begin, starting with the youngest, and proceed to older age groups. Babies as young as six months could be given the shots.
If the pandemic is of a moderate type, such as the Asian Flu of 1957, or the Hong Kong Flu of 1968, the first to get the vaccine would be those aged 65 and over, as well as those considered at risk because of existing ailments.
Terhi Kilpi, head of the vaccination department of the National Public Health Institute, says that the priorities would be set with a view to saving as many years of human life as possible. "We cannot rule out the possibility that there might not be enough of the vaccine for everyone right away.
A vaccine specifically for the strain of the virus that spreads among humans might become available in Finland as late as six months after a pandemic is declared to have started around the world. In the first wave of the outbreak, a weaker sample vaccine would be used.
A working group preparing for a possible pandemic submitted its proposal on measures to be taken to Liisa Hyss?l? (Centre), the Minister of Social Services on Wednesday. The focus of the proposed measures is on maintaining the viability of the health care system.
Calculations of numbers of people who would be afflicted and needing hospital care come from a scenario based on three pandemics from the 20th century - two moderate ones and one serious one.
The 200-page proposal is aimed at getting local authorities and health care districts around Finland to start their preparations.
The Influenza Laboratory of the National Public Health Institute is already making preparations for dealing with the situation.
The primary concerns for health care are making sure that there are enough health care workers to treat the patients, and providing adequate space for all patients requiring hospitalisation.
Previously in HS International Edition:
Bird flu expected in Finland in about two weeks (10.3.2006)
Finland considers changing bird flu vaccine (8.3.2996)
Bird flu moving faster than anticipated; contingency plans for dead birds among migrating flocks (2.3.2006)
Finnish government drawing up plans for bird flu pandemic (20.1.2006)
Bird flu scenario: Over 1.8 million Finns would catch virus if pandemic breaks out (13.1.2006)
Links:
Ministry of Social Affairs and Heatlh: Action Plan for National Pandemic Preparedness (PDF file)
HELSINGIN SANOMAT
INTERNATIONAL EDITION - HOME
You arrived here at 02:30 Helsinki time Sunday 19.3.2006
Health care workers to be given priority
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has plans to vaccinate all Finns if a pandemic of bird flu breaks out. However, the question of who gets inoculated first depends on the seriousness of the situation.
According to an action plan drawn up by a working group preparing for a possible outbreak, the first in line for the vaccine, which is yet to be developed, will be health care personnel caring for patients who have caught the disease.
If the pandemic proves to be as serious as the Spanish Flu in 1918, inoculations of the whole population would begin, starting with the youngest, and proceed to older age groups. Babies as young as six months could be given the shots.
If the pandemic is of a moderate type, such as the Asian Flu of 1957, or the Hong Kong Flu of 1968, the first to get the vaccine would be those aged 65 and over, as well as those considered at risk because of existing ailments.
Terhi Kilpi, head of the vaccination department of the National Public Health Institute, says that the priorities would be set with a view to saving as many years of human life as possible. "We cannot rule out the possibility that there might not be enough of the vaccine for everyone right away.
A vaccine specifically for the strain of the virus that spreads among humans might become available in Finland as late as six months after a pandemic is declared to have started around the world. In the first wave of the outbreak, a weaker sample vaccine would be used.
A working group preparing for a possible pandemic submitted its proposal on measures to be taken to Liisa Hyss?l? (Centre), the Minister of Social Services on Wednesday. The focus of the proposed measures is on maintaining the viability of the health care system.
Calculations of numbers of people who would be afflicted and needing hospital care come from a scenario based on three pandemics from the 20th century - two moderate ones and one serious one.
The 200-page proposal is aimed at getting local authorities and health care districts around Finland to start their preparations.
The Influenza Laboratory of the National Public Health Institute is already making preparations for dealing with the situation.
The primary concerns for health care are making sure that there are enough health care workers to treat the patients, and providing adequate space for all patients requiring hospitalisation.
Previously in HS International Edition:
Bird flu expected in Finland in about two weeks (10.3.2006)
Finland considers changing bird flu vaccine (8.3.2996)
Bird flu moving faster than anticipated; contingency plans for dead birds among migrating flocks (2.3.2006)
Finnish government drawing up plans for bird flu pandemic (20.1.2006)
Bird flu scenario: Over 1.8 million Finns would catch virus if pandemic breaks out (13.1.2006)
Links:
Ministry of Social Affairs and Heatlh: Action Plan for National Pandemic Preparedness (PDF file)