Service

Influenza vaccinations

Influenza vaccinations will begin on 20 October 2025. The influenza vaccine gives protection against influenza and associated secondary diseases. The protection provided by the influenza vaccine lasts for about a year.

• Who is given a vaccination?
• Who in a close circle is entitled to a free influenza vaccination?
• What vaccines are used? 
• Vaccination of non-risk groups
• Booster doses of coronavirus vaccine available together with influenza vaccination
• Appointment bookings
• Vaccination locations

Influenza is an acute inflammation of the respiratory tract caused by influenza viruses. Influenza epidemics occur every winter. Influenza is associated with a high fever, muscle ache and headache, and common cold symptoms.

The influenza vaccine gives protection against influenza and associated secondary diseases, such as ear infections, bronchitis, pneumonia as well as myocardial infarction and cerebral circulation disorders.

The majority of those who take the vaccine manage to avoid the flu. If a vaccinated person gets the flu, the disease is usually milder and recovery is faster. Protection provided by the influenza vaccine lasts for about a year, so a vaccine taken last year does not provide any protection against this season’s influenza.

Who is given a vaccination?

Groups entitled to a free influenza vaccination are as follows:

• Pregnant women
• Everyone aged 65 and over
• Children aged 6 months-6 years
• Those belonging to at-risk groups because of an illness or treatment
• Men starting their military service and women starting their voluntary military service
• Persons with an increased risk of contracting avian influenza

In addition, persons caring for clients and patients, as well as social, healthcare and medical care personnel, along with those close to a person susceptible to a serious influenza infection, are entitled to receive a free influenza vaccination.

Who in a close circle is entitled to a free influenza vaccination?

A free influenza vaccination can be given to a person in a close circle who

• is regularly in close contact with a person particularly susceptible to severe influenza
• is regularly in close contact with a person who is susceptible to severe influenza but cannot be protected by the influenza vaccine.

Regular close contact refers to a situation where the person in question lives in the same home or has weekly face-to-face contact with a protected person.

More information about vaccinating those in a close circle (THL.fi) (in Finnish)

What vaccines are used? 

During the 2025–2026 influenza season, the vaccination programme will offer:

• Injectable Vaxigrip vaccine for all age groups
• Injectable Fluad vaccine for everyone aged 85 and older, as well as for those aged 50 and older with severe immunodeficiency
• Fluenz nasal spray vaccine for children aged 2–6 years

The adjuvanted Fluad vaccine is offered to people with weakened immunity. The vaccine is likely to provide them with better and longer-lasting protection than the Vaxigrip vaccine, which does not contain an adjuvant.

The World Health Organization (WHO) selects each year the virus strains to be included in the vaccine, based on surveillance data collected from different countries, focusing on those strains most likely to cause influenza.

Vaccination of non-risk groups

If you do not belong to a risk group or a close circle, you can inquire about having an influenza vaccination from your work or student healthcare centre. If necessary, you can also get a prescription from a health and social services centre, in which case you will pay for the vaccine yourself. In this case, you will obtain the vaccine from the pharmacy and take it to the nurses’ clinic, where the nurse will inject you with the vaccine.

Booster doses of coronavirus vaccine available together with influenza vaccination

The booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine can be given together with the influenza vaccination to individuals who belong to the target groups for coronavirus vaccine boosters, if at least six months have passed since the previous vaccination or since you had the coronavirus.

Appointment bookings

We primarily recommend using the digital appointment booking service Citizen’s online health services (Kansalaisen terveyspalvelu).

Appointments can also be booked from Care Needs Assessment:

Pietarsaari (Jakobstad), Uusikaarlepyy (Nykarleby), Pedersöre and Luoto (Larsmo):

Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:00–14:00 tel. 06 781 0330.

Vaccination locations

Children’s vaccinations are given at the Child Welfare Clinic or via school health care.

More information about vaccinations can be found at: https://en.osterbottensvalfard.fi/vaccinations/