Finland to roll out vaccines for bird flu next week in world first- as human cases of virus spread across the globe

Finland will become the first nation to offer bird flu vaccinations as it plans to roll out the shots next week to high-risk workers amid rising concerns over the virus jumping from animals to people.

Officials in the Nordic nation say 10,000 doses will be administered to those working closely with animals, such as poultry and fur farm workers.

Patients will receive two doses of the shot at least a week apart, with vaccines to be distributed once they are delivered from stockpiles in central Europe.

The bird flu virus is currently not well-adapted to infect people, with the CDC saying the risk to humans is 'low,' but experts fear this could change if it undergoes new mutations, saying every additional infection outside of birds poses a risk.

Globally, at least 11 humans have tested positive for bird flu across four countries so far this year. Cambodia has the most cases, with five, followed by three in the US, which is currently experiencing a major bird flu outbreak among cows. 

No human infections have been recorded in Finland as of yet.

The above map shows detections of bird flu or H5N1 among mammals in the US from May 2022 to June 18, 2024

LEFT: Wild birds that tested positive for bird flu in 2023. RIGHT: Map of areas where mink farms were found to have a bird flu infection

But the country ordered the roll out after an outbreak of the virus on 27 fur farms in the country last year, including those housing mink and foxes.

Although no humans were infected by the virus, the cases did lead to 485,000 animals being culled to stop the disease from spreading.

In its campaign, Finland will offer a vaccine targeting the H5 protein on the virus, which officials say will likely work well against H5N1 infections. 

The vaccines will be shipped from the Australian company CSL Seqirus as part of a European Union campaign to procure 40million doses in 15 countries. 

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) said in a statement: 'The vaccine will be offered to those aged 18 or over who are at increased risk of contracting avian influenza due to their work or other circumstances.'

This includes those working on fur and poultry farms, as well as lab technicians who handle bird flu samples and veterinarians working in areas with fur farms.  

People who work in sanctuaries caring for wild birds, on farms or those who clean slaughterhouses and animal housing will also be offered the vaccine.

If a human infection is detected, the shot would also be administered to the person's close contacts, officials added.

Health officials say the vaccine is expected to trigger sufficient antibodies to protect against a bird flu infection.

A previous study involving 3,400 people found 90 percent of those under 60 years old and 80 percent of those over 60 years old had antibody levels that 'would protect them against H5N1'. Studies have also shown the vaccine is safe to use. 

In the US, a total of 4.8million doses of a bird flu vaccine are set to be delivered by late summer — although there are currently no plans to distribute them.

America's department of agriculture reports 118 dairy cow herds across 12 states have confirmed H5N1 cases and the three human cases were in people with direct contact with infected cattle. 

They experienced swelling of the eyes and respiratory symptoms.  

Despite the spread, the CDC said the risk to humans is low. 

The outbreak in cattle is unprecedented, and has raised concerns the virus could be a step closer to spreading to humans. 

But H5N1 has been causing a major outbreak in the animal world for months — infecting everything from foxes to raccoons and even dolphins and seals. 

Finnish officials said they want to roll out the vaccine as soon as possible to minimize the risk of the bird flu spreading to humans.

They said the country faces a heightened risk because most of its fur farms are outdoors where animals kept in them can come into contact with wild animals — raising their risk of contracting the virus and passing it onto humans.

Minks pose a particular risk because the animals carry similar receptors in their lungs to humans, meaning they could act as 'mixing vessels' for spreading the virus to humans.