Travelling & Vaccines

Find out your vaccination needs well in advance before your trip. The need for traveller’s vaccinations depends on the destination. In Western Europe and North America protection provided by the Finnish vaccination program is usually sufficient for short visits. However, vaccinations should be kept up to date. 

When travelling outside Europe, find out the vaccination requirements of the destination country. This should be done at least 8 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 ceritificates.  

Basic vaccinations recommended for everyone

Tetanus-diphtheria vaccination, is valid for 20 years for those under 65 years of age and 10 years for those over 65 years of age.

It is recommended that the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine be given once in adulthood, in combination with a tetanus-diphtheria booster.

MMR vaccine (measles-mumps-rubella) Everybody needs two doses of MMR vaccine to be fully protected from these diseases. 

Polio vaccine, to some countries booster dose is recommended. Epidemic situation changes, so you need to check current recommendations. Booster might be recommended even in Europe or North America.

Seasonal flu 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.

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. It is a good idea to take hepatitis B vaccination already in the childhood or at the latest before teenage. Children usually develop a chronic severe form of the disease and adolescents’ lifestyles expose young people to hepatitis B.

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. Read more about our Traveler Vaccination and Counseling Service. 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.