Travel vaccinations
Find out your vaccination needs well in advance before your trip. The need for traveller’s vaccinations depends on the destination, the nature of the trip and the duration of the trip. For short visits in Northern and Western Europe and North America protection provided by the Finnish vaccination program is usually sufficient. However, vaccinations should be kept up to date. You can get all the necessary vaccinations at our Vaccine Clinics.
Always when travelling, find out the vaccination requirements of the destination country. This should be done 8-12 weeks before the trip. Many vaccinations require several doses of the vaccine every few weeks before the trip. Some vaccines need to be given well in advance to allow your body to develop immunity.
It is a good idea to look for your vaccination records before visiting our clinic. Previous vaccinations can be found, for example, at the occupational health center, the student’s health care service, the Kanta.fi -service or on old vaccination certificates.
Basic vaccinations recommended for everyone
Tetanus-diphtheria vaccine. Taken in the Finnish national vaccination program every 20 years for those under 65 years of age and every 10 years for those over 65 years of age. You can also take the Tdap vaccine, which gives protection against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
MMR vaccine (measles-mumps-rubella). Everybody needs two doses of MMR vaccine to be fully protected from these diseases.
Polio vaccine. The basic series of vaccinations given in childhood. In some countries, booster dose is recommended for travelers. Epidemic situations change, so you need to check current recommendations. Booster might be recommended even in Europe or North America.
Seasonal influenza vaccine. Seasonal influenza occurs in the southern hemisphere when it is summer in Finland. In the tropics, the occurrence of influenza is year-round without a specific influenza season. In Finland influenza activity is highest during the winter months, typically from December to March.
It is a good idea for children and young people to check that they have received vaccinations in accordance with the national vaccination program and, if necessary, to supplement them before the trip.
The requirements and travel recommendations of different countries change rapidly with the epidemic situation, so the tourist should always find out the current instructions before the trip.
Other necessary vaccines
In addition to the national vaccination program, the most common vaccination a traveler needs is a hepatitis A vaccine. This should be considered when traveling to the east or south of the Mediterranean Sea or for longer periods to eastern Europe or the Baltic States. Hepatitis A vaccine is always recommended when travelling to Asia, Africa or South-America. Depending on the duration, destination and nature of the trip, a vaccination against hepatitis B may also be needed.
The TBE-vaccine (tick-borne encephalitis) is recommended when traveling in certain areas in Finland, the Baltic countries, the Stockholm archipelago and Central Europe.
Long-distance traveler vaccination and counseling service
When traveling outside Europe it is good to check the recommendations according to the destination. There are several vaccinations for travelers. You might also need malaria prophylaxis. If you need many vaccinations, we recommend that you call and make an appointment to the Traveler Vaccination and Counseling Service to our vaccination clinics.
