These infectious diseases are on the rise after the corona – 2024-02-21 08:34:51

Measles cases in Europe have raised questions about the wider spread of the disease.

The MPR vaccine given in Finland since 1982 offers protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Good vaccination coverage has been our country’s trump card in measles cases.

THL’s leading expert Mia Kontion according to about 95 percent of the population has a single dose of MPR vaccination. The coverage of the two vaccines is about 93 percent.

Just under two percent of Finnish children are unvaccinated.

– It’s a really small amount compared to, for example, Estonia, where, however, vaccination coverage has been significantly lower for all vaccines than here in Finland, Kontio says.

According to the country’s health authority, there are currently at least 30,000 children in Estonia who have not been vaccinated against the disease.

According to Konti, there have been no major changes in vaccination coverage since the corona years. Vaccine criticism came up in the discussion during the corona pandemic. At the time, Iltalehti reported, for example, about employees opposing the corona vaccine.

– On the other hand, non-vaccination in our country is very regionally concentrated. However, the situation has improved, especially on the west coast, and vaccination coverage has increased.

In Finland, measles vaccinations started in 1975. The vaccine is recommended for those born between 1965 and 1975, if there is no certainty of getting it or having measles. TELEVISION

Not for forced vaccinations

According to Konti, compulsory vaccination made possible by the Infectious Diseases Act is not coming, even if the measles epidemic were to spread.

– Compulsory vaccinations are perhaps more for smallpox or a similar especially life-threatening, fast-spreading disease. Not in any case for regular vaccinations.

He points out that compulsory vaccinations were not introduced even for the corona virus.

According to Kontio, measles does not occur in the EU region at the moment as much as before the corona pandemic.

The number of influenza cases has also increased since the corona years. Corona restricted the movement of people and thus the spread of infectious diseases.

– All in all, there were far fewer respiratory viruses on the move when people didn’t see each other so actively. All kinds of stomach disease epidemics were also rarer during the corona.

Potential risk countries

According to Kontio, the majority of measles infections are currently concentrated in other parts of the east, such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, in addition to Russia.

– The border is closed, but there are many cases in Russia. There are also cases in Turkey, if you think of countries where you usually travel from Finland.

According to Konti, measles has spread in Britain because there are many gaps in the country’s vaccination coverage, especially for young adults.

In Finland, an average of zero to five infections are observed each year.

– We regularly receive isolated cases from abroad, so this (measles) is not a rarity in itself.

Last year, one case of measles was observed in Finland, in 2022 there will not be a single one.