Finland First to Offer Bird Flu Vaccine to High-Risk Workers Starting Next Week

Finland will become the first country to offer preemptive bird flu vaccinations to high-risk workers starting next week. The country has secured vaccines for 10,000 people through a joint EU procurement effort, with doses supplied by Australian manufacturer CSL Seqirus. The vaccination campaign targets workers in fur and poultry farms, lab technicians, veterinarians, and others exposed to animals. This proactive measure follows significant outbreaks of the H5N1 strain at fur farms last year, which led to the culling of 485,000 animals. Although no human cases have been reported in Finland, the move aims to prevent potential human infections amid rising concerns over the virus's spread to mammals and humans globally. Experts warn that new mutations could increase the virus's risk to humans, despite the current low infection rate.