Influenza

Season’s 2024-2025 influenza vaccines are now available at our Vaccine Clinics. You can get vaccinated at our Vaccine Clinics without making a prior appointment.

Influenza vaccine (injection): available now
High-dose influenza vaccine for people age 60 and older: available now
Nasal spray vaccine for children age 2 to 17 years: not available anymore for the season 2024-2025

All influenza vaccines protect against different influenza virus strains, i.e. virus strains A and B.

Three different vaccinations available in Finland

Influenza vaccine injections suitable for all ages from six months of age and up. The viruses in injectable vaccines are inactivated, i.e. they do not contain live, attenuated microbes.
High-dose injectable flu vaccine for people over 60 years of age contains four times the amount of active ingredient. The high-dose vaccine is not part of the national vaccination program, but it is available from us. The vaccine does not contain live, attenuated microbes.
The nasal spray vaccine can be used for children aged 2–17. The nasal spray contains live, attenuated microbes and is therefore not suitable for the immunocompromised. An exacerbation of asthma is also an obstacle to taking the vaccine.

Risk groups of influenza

Influenza vaccines are especially recommended for people at risk groups. People belonging to risk groups can get sick more easily to a severe form of influenza, get complications, and get hospitalized.

Risk groups include:

children under 7 years of age
pregnant women
adults over 65 years years of age
immunocompromised
people with basic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, diabetes, liver and kidney disease

Influenza vaccine and pregnancy

The injectable influenza vaccine can be given to the mother at any stage of pregnancy. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization WHO have recommended the influenza vaccine for pregnant women since 2012. Pregnancy weakens the body’s defense mechanisms, which increases the risk of getting sick with severe influenza and developing complications. Getting sick with influenza during the second and the third trimester of pregnancy causes a greater disease burden for the expectant mother compared to other women of the same age group.

According to research, a mother getting sick with influenza is also a risk for the baby in the womb. The vaccine given during the last trimester of pregnancy also protects the baby from influenza up to six months of age. Vaccinating the mother against influenza also provides indirect protection: when the mother does not get sick, she also does not infect the newborn baby. It is also good for those close to the pregnant woman to protect themselves against the influenza.

Why should you get “the flu shot” i.e. influenza vaccine?

Influenza is typically accompanied by high fever that lasts for several days. The disease can have severe symptoms and be quite unpleasant even for a healthy adult. A large number of those who have taken the vaccine avoid the illness completely. A vaccinated person can also have significantly milder influenza and a faster recovery compared to the unvaccinated population. The risk of getting influenza complications is lower for those who have taken the vaccine. By getting vaccinated, you can also prevent the spread of the disease, the incidence of severe influenza, and you can also protect your loved ones and those who belong to risk groups. Influenza vaccination is therefore also useful for people who do not belong to the risk group.

When should you get the influenza vaccine?

Influenza epidemics occur every winter, and the flu season typically lasts from mid-December to the end of March. The flu vaccine should be taken every year, as the strains of flu viruses vary every year. Influenza vaccines usually arrive in Finland in October. It is good to take the vaccine in autumn or early winter before the beginning of the influenza season, for example in October-November. However, the vaccine is still useful until the end of the season. When planning to take the vaccine, it is good to note that the protective effect of influenza vaccines starts about in two weeks after the vaccination.

Side effects of the influenza vaccine

With injectable influenza vaccines the most common vaccination reactions are local symptoms of the injection site, such as pain, swelling and redness. General symptoms, such as fever, are more common in young children than in adults. General symptoms occur in about one in ten.

The most common vaccination reactions to the nasal spray vaccine are nasal congestion and rhinitis, which occur in more than one in ten vaccinated people. The symptoms caused by the vaccination usually appear within a couple of days after the vaccination and are quickly transient. It is important to note that serious side effects, such as a severe allergic reaction, are very rare.

When can the influenza vaccine not be given?

The influenza vaccine is well tolerated. Hypersensitivity to one of the substances used in the vaccine, such as egg protein or formaldehyde, or allergic reactions from previous vaccinations can be a contraindication to vaccination. Our nursing staff evaluates each client’s vaccinations individually. A severe immediate allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in connection with a previous flu vaccine is a contraindication to vaccination at Rokotepalvelu. Influenza vaccines must not be given to children under six months of age.

Symptoms of influenza

Influenza is often confused with the common cold. Influenza is, however, a much more violent disease and the flu starts faster. The first symptom is often a high fever, which typically lasts 5 to 6 days. Other initial symptoms are headache, muscle ache and malaise. After the primary symptoms of influenza, dry cough, sore throat, runny nose and sometimes stomach pain usually appear. Stomach and intestinal symptoms are common, especially in children. Person without underlying illnesses usually recovers from the influenza within two weeks. A person who gets sick with influenza can get complications caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia.

Influenza complications

Influenza vaccine is an effective way to protect yourself not only from influenza but also from its complications, such as pneumonia caused by pneumococcus bacteria. Several diseases, such as ear infections, myocarditis and sinusitis are common complications of influenza. Influenza also increases the risk of cerebrovascular disorders and heart attacks. High fever influenza during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. For asthmatics, getting sick with the influenza often leads to more severe symptoms. Typical complications of influenza in children are otitis media (inflammatory disease of the middle ear) and pneumonia. In the worst case, an influenza infection can lead to death, which is usually caused by the worsening of the underlying disease or bacterial sequelae.

Influenza vaccine in the workplace

According to research, vaccination against influenza prevents up to eight cases of influenza for every ten cases. Do you want to prevent unnecessary absences due to sickness and avoid extra costs in your company caused by influenza? We also vaccinate staff against influenza at our four Vaccine Clinics without an appointment. Contact us and ask more about staff flu vaccinations!

The price of the influenza vaccine

The price of the injected influenza vaccine for adults and children is 40 €. The Kanta register fee of 3 € is added to the cost.
The price of the high-dose influenza vaccine intended for people over 60 is 85 €. The Kanta register fee of 3 € is added to the cost.
The price of the children’s nasal spray vaccine is 65 €. The Kanta register fee of 3 € is added to the cost.