An interview with Professor Seppo Ylä-Herttuala from the A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland.
Entirely novel vaccines, developed at record speed, have been employed to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic. The technology these vaccines are based on has however been investigated for over 20 years, and it has been successfully used in several patient studies in e.g. oncology.
World Immunization Week – celebrated in the last week of April (24 to 30 April) – aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Immunization saves millions of lives every year and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions.
The amount of TBE cases reported to the National Infectious Diseases Register of The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) rose significantly compared to previous years. In 2021 150 TBE cases were reported to the register, preceded by 69-91 cases/year during 2017-2020. The rise may be due to climate change, awareness of tick-borne diseases and the increase in domestic travel and outdoor activities.
The volume of pharmaceutical information has grown dramatically in recent decades. Just a few decades ago there was very little information available in writing and no digital information at all. Nowadays, it is possible to find information not only in books but also on the internet, where anyone can set up a website, and no one monitors the accuracy of the information.
New things are easily seen as something to be afraid of. For example, why should the completely new RNA vaccine technology be used against COVID-19 when there are more traditional ways to produce vaccines that have been used for a long time?
The new corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) causes primarily an acute respiratory infection that is spread as a droplet infection. The clinical picture may vary from almost asymptomatic to severe. Advanced age particularly combined with a basic illness increases the risk of a severe illness and death.
We often have reservations about things that are new and unknown to us. During the coronavirus pandemic, there have been misgivings about vaccines. For example, the media have asked whether mRNA vaccines can change our genetic code or have other serious health effects. My attitude towards vaccines reflects my broad and varied experience as a researcher. My work has involved RNA for more than 20 years. I’m therefore very familiar with the technology and mechanism of action of mRNA vaccines. I also know that this technology is safe.
Many municipalities will start vaccinating those in risk groups against influenza at the beginning of November. The influenza vaccination is free for those for whom influenza poses a considerable health risk, or who gain significant health benefits from the vaccination.
The following groups are entitled to a free influenza vaccine:
In our guest blog at rokotustieto.fi, Mika Rämet, Director of the Vaccine Research Centre, explains why being vaccinated is particularly important during the coronavirus pandemic.
Finland’s COVID-19 vaccination certificate is now available in the My Kanta Pages service. The vaccination certificate contains information on the COVID-19 vaccinations received by the certificate holder and is available after receiving the first dose of vaccine. Initially, many people may have to wait a while before they are able to view their vaccination certificate.
Vaccination coverage among healthcare professionals varies by professional group and area. The number of vaccinated professionals is highest among nurses and practical nurses. However, a higher proportion of doctors have been vaccinated than nurses.
In 2020, 91 cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) were reported in Finland, which is an increase of almost one third on 2019, when 69 cases were reported.
In Finland, the vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus were started at the end of December 20201. Based on questionnaires, a clear majority of Finnish people is going to take or has already taken the vaccine and believes in the safety and efficacy the COVID-19 vaccines.
The first preliminary research results on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in Finland have been received. According to the results, vaccination reduced the number of cases of severe COVID-19 requiring hospital treatment by an average of 74% (95% confidence interval 42–88%) in the elderly and 84% (95% confidence interval 34–96%) in those belonging to the risk groups.
How do pandemics come about, how can they be prevented and what have we learnt from the coronavirus pandemic?
A pandemic is a global epidemic that emerges unexpectedly. Pandemics start with a microbe – usually a virus – that originates from somewhere in the animal kingdom and transfers to a human that is in close contact with the animal.
The introduction of a digital vaccination card is making progress. In January, a vaccination section was opened in the My Kanta Pages of the Kanta Service, which is intended to be developed into a comprehensive database of all vaccines received. The database will be a digital vaccination card for citizens, and it is planned to replace paper certificates.
In the Rokotustieto.fi guest blog, Mika Rämet, Director of Tampere University’s Vaccine Research Center, explains the factors that have an impact on establishing a vaccination coverage that is sufficient to achieve herd immunity.
I am often asked how high vaccination coverage should be in order to establish herd immunity. I dodge the question just as often by saying that there is no precise figure to give. The higher the vaccination coverage, the easier it is to suppress an epidemic.
