While the overall vaccination rate for young children in Finland is good, for the past two years health agency THL has observed a decline in kids receiving their second MMR vaccine doses, also known as boosters.
"Most Finns want to vaccinate their children comprehensively, following the vaccine programme," THL vaccine specialist Mia Kontio said.
The MMR vaccine offers recipients protection against measles, mumps and rubella and is offered to kids when they turn six. The declining use of the booster increases risks of a measles epidemic, according to THL, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
The minimum booster dose target for MMR vaccines is 95 percent of the entire population. According to THL, an overall 91 percent of kids in Finland born in 2017 had received their second MMR dose.
The agency based its figures on national vaccination register data. But it noted that due to possible record keeping issues, Finland's actual vaccination coverage is likely higher than that.
Alarming situation
Even so, Kontio characterised the situation as alarming, emphasising that getting both MMR doses is an important part of preventing measles outbreaks.
"We've seen the situation in the US, where vaccination coverage has decreased and there are broader epidemics there. Last year, there were many [measles] cases in Europe, right in the EU area. It is only a question of time before a broad epidemic happens, unless we get high vaccination coverage," Kontio explained.
According to WHO, measles is a highly contagious, airborne viral disease that can lead to severe complications and even cause death in people of all ages. It said estimated that more than 107,000 people around the world died of measles in 2023, "mostly among unvaccinated or under vaccinated children under the age of five years".
The UN health agency also noted that measles vaccinations "averted more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023".
Anti-vax not the reason
The agency noted that the reason behind the decrease in vaccinations of six-year-olds was not driven by anti-vaccination sentiment, but rather problems in rolling out the vaccinations in some wellbeing counties.
"The vaccination should be administered at the age of six," she said, adding that the checks aren't always done at health centres.
"In some areas, administering vaccinations has been taken over by schools, but perhaps the instructions [about them] have not been properly implemented, because these vaccinations are not being carried out," Kontio said.
The expert urged wellbeing counties to sort out the matter and to give unvaccinated children their missing jabs.
According to THL data, MMR booster coverage was lowest in the wellbeing county of South Karelia, where 81 percent of kids born in 2017 received it. However, coverage of other vaccines in South Karelia is high.
The highest MMR booster coverage was seen in North Savo, where 96 percent of those children were vaccinated.
According to THL, the coverage of other booster vaccines in Finland is good, and there has even been an increase in the proportion of kids getting vaccines. For instance, the chickenpox jab has increased every year since it was included in the country's vaccination programme in 2017.
At the same time, the proportion of fully unvaccinated three-year-olds has increased, with 1.9 percent of people born in 2022 not being vaccinated.
"[That proportion] is still low, but it's risen slightly," Kontio noted.
The vaccines in Finland's vaccination programme are offered to children free of charge at clinics, health centres or schools.
