Finland : H1N1-mass vaccinations decision in early autumn

[Gert van der Hoek]

Updated 24.6. 23:27, published on 24.6. 19:36


H1N1-mass vaccinations decision in early autumn


Finland will be the beginning of autumn the mass vaccination of swine influenza.

International vaccine manufacturers have their own assessment of the vaccine market in the autumn.

Finland has ordered the vaccine from one manufacturer and has the option of another tranche of the purchase of another manufacturer. Total vaccine could receive about five million copies.

Health and welfare of the institution Director General Juhani Eskola of vaccination, estimated the extent of the fall of the illnesses.

MTV3, the vaccinations will begin in November. Eskola, however, stress that no decision on timing has not yet been made.

http://www.kainuunsanomat.fi/cs/Sat...621172362&p=1192553151517&pagename=KSAWrapper

 

[TrishPaak]

Re: Finland : H1N1-mass vaccinations decision in early autumn

Finland to Launch Mass Swine Flu Vaccination Campaign

link: http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009...ss_swine_flu_vaccination_campaign_848470.html



This autumn Finland will begin a mass campaign to vaccinate the public against swine flu. In addition, doctors will soon cease prescribing medicines for most patients with the H1N1 virus, preferring instead to let most cases run their course.

The new guidelines were agreed upon at a meeting of the country's top infectious disease experts. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on Monday summoned specialists from the country's university hospitals to discuss how to stop the spread of swine flu in Finland.

Ville Valtonen, the chief physician for the Helsinki University Hospital says that the decision was made to limit antiviral flu medication to only the most serious cases. According to Valtonen, the majority of cases do not need to be treated with drugs.

Valtonen predicts that one million people in Finland will come down with swine flu this autumn.

Nonetheless he says there are enough drugs stockpiled to treat the more severe cases.

One of the meeting's primary goals was to determine whether the country's swine flu vaccine and drug treatment policies are sufficient and up to date.

Health officials confirmed 19 new cases of swine flu over the weekend. 62 Finns have contracted the H1N1 virus to date.