Order of vaccination

The order of vaccination (swine flu vaccination programme) is based on people in at-risk groups. The schedule is subject to change.

1. Starting week 44
Frontline health and social care workers treating and caring for infected patients or patients exposed to infections, ambulance staff, and pharmacy staff attending to customers
These people are exposed to the virus through their work, and vaccinating them will also protect patients.

2. Starting week 45
Pregnant women
The majority of pregnant women infected with swine flu will experience only a mild disease. However, they are at a greater risk than their peers of developing a serious illness.
Vaccination of pregnant women

3. Starting week 46
Persons aged from six months to 64 years who due to an underlying medical condition belong to an at-risk group
This group includes people with a heart or lung disease requiring regular medication, a metabolic disease, chronic liver failure or chronic kidney disease, an immune system disease, a condition whose treatment reduces the immune response, or a chronic neurological or neuromuscular disease. People belonging to an at-risk group due to an underlying condition are at greatest risk of developing a severe disease as a result of swine flu. The risk of reduced functional capacity and an exacerbation of their underlying condition is also greater.

4. Starting week 47
Healthy children aged from 6 to 35 months
Young children have a high morbidity rate from flu, require hospital care more often than on average, and are efficient disease transmitters.

5. Starting week 48
Healthy children and young people aged from 3 to 24 years as well as conscripts
Swine flu has particularly targeted children and young people between the ages of 3 and 24, causing mostly mild infections. However, some young people may develop a severe illness.

6. Starting week 50-51
Persons aged 65 and over who due to an underlying medical condition belong to an at-risk group
Although morbidity from swine flu among persons aged 65 and over is lower than in other age groups, an underlying condition places them at higher risk of serious illness.

7. The rest of the population
A pandemic co-ordination group at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health recently decided that the entire population will be vaccinated against swine influenza, from the youngest to the oldest. The vaccination dates and schedules may vary from one municipality to another.

Vaccination dates and locations as well as information about whether you belong to an at-risk group are available from your health centre and local municipal websites.