Bird flu vaccines will soon be offered to those at risk of the disease, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said on Thursday.
The jabs are intended for veterinarians and people working with poultry or fur animals, as well as others with a high risk of infection from avian influenza.
The vaccine is aimed at combatting bird flu infections and serious forms of the disease, which can be transmitted by sick or dead animals or their secretions.
Over 300,000 fur animals put down
Avian flu (A/H5N1) has been abundant in wild birds throughout the 2020s. Last summer, mass deaths of wild birds and infections of farmed fur animals were reported in Finland, with humans also exposed to infection.
So far, no human infections have been detected in Finland, but cases have been diagnosed in India, the US, Mexico and elsewhere.
As of last October, the Finnish Food Authority had ordered more than 300,000 minks, foxes and raccoon dogs to be culled at fur farms due to the risk of bird flu.
Also last autumn, the agency confirmed that bird flu had also spread to wild mammals such as foxes, lynx and otters, and warned that it could spread to dogs and cats that are allowed to roam freely.
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.
