The monkeypox vaccine is still not available in Finland.
Anniina VirkkuA medical expert from the Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) told Yle that the vaccines have not yet arrived.
A few weeks ago, THL announced that the portions would arrive by the end of July. About 1,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be delivered to Finland.
According to Virku, the vaccines are mainly intended for those exposed to monkeypox. When the doses arrive in the country, THL gives a more detailed vaccination recommendation.
Infection requires long-term close contact
Mika RรคmetThe director of the vaccine research center said that he believes that Finland is not late in preparing for monkeypox, even though the vaccines have not yet arrived.
"Monkeypox is not very contagious. Getting infected takes a long close contact," Rรคmet said.
According to Rรคmet, monkeypox is unlikely to spread widely to the entire population in the same way as the coronavirus. Therefore, Finland can manage with only a small amount of vaccines, at least for the time being.
More than 20 infections in Finland
So far, more than 20 monkeypox cases have been identified in Finland, most of which have occurred abroad.
There are more than 30,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox worldwide.
At the end of July, Spain reported the first monkeypox-related deaths in Europe.
The World Health Organization WHO declared monkeypox a global public health threat in July.
EU common procurement plan
The vaccines will be delivered to Finland as part of the European Union’s joint procurement plan. The EU has bought a total of 160,000 monkeypox vaccine doses so far.
According to Virku, the availability of the vaccine is limited, at least initially. Vaccines are distributed to EU countries according to infection rates.
The EU has already supplied vaccines to the countries with the most cases.
New vaccines coming to Finland
Smallpox and monkeypox are closely related. In the past, vaccination against smallpox also provided protection against monkeypox.
"In that sense, it is not particularly surprising that monkeypox is on the rise now that smallpox vaccinations have been abandoned," said Rรคmet.
New smallpox vaccines are coming to Finland, which also protect against monkeypox.
Source: The Nordic Page