The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is expanding the tick vaccination programme to new risk areas in Finland.
Tick-borne encephalitis occurs especially in coastal areas and the archipelago. The new risk areas designated by THL are in Espoo, Kirkkonummi, Uusikaupunki and Hailuoto.
The vaccine protects against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), but not against borreliosis (Lyme disease), the most common disease spread by ticks. It also does not prevent ticks from attaching to skin or biting people.
Coast, archipelago and eastern Finland
In general, the largest numbers of cases are in coastal and archipelago areas as well as Kuopio, Lappeenranta and Joensuu in eastern Finland.
On Friday, the THL announced that the free TBE vaccination programme is being expanded to cover some residents of Espoo, Kirkkonummi, Uusikaupunki and Hailuoto.
The new high-risk areas are:
- The Kurttila and Vanttila districts of Kauklahti, Espoo
- The Porkkala and Upinniemi areas of Kirkkonummi
- The Pyhämaa area of Uusikaupunki
- Hailuoto Island
Residents of these areas are now eligible for free TBE jabs.
In addition, starting in January, the THL recommends that residents and those with cottages or who engage in outdoor activities in three other areas get TBE shots at their own expense. These areas are the Kaakkuri district of Oulu as well as Kimitoön (Kemiönsaari) and Pyhäranta in Southwest Finland.
Between October 2023 and September 2024, 200 new cases of tick-borne encephalitis were reported to the THL's infectious disease register.
The highest incidence of illness in 2020–24 was in areas already included in the national vaccination programme in Kustavi, Pargas (Parainen) and the Åland islands.
Finland has run its TBE vaccination programme since 2006.
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