Vaccinations for babies and children – Frequently asked questions

Are children’s vaccines safe?

You can feel safe about the children’s vaccination programme and other vaccines given to children.

• Vaccines in the children’s vaccination programme have been proven to be safe. The vaccines have been in use globally for a long time.
• The development and production of vaccines is strictly regulated and monitored with particular care. The monitoring of vaccines continues even after they have been approved for use.
• Vaccination is always safer than the diseases that they prevent. For example, measles that can be prevented with the MMR vaccine can be a serious disease with severe consequences for people of all ages.

If you are concerned about the safety of vaccines, please do not dwell on your questions alone. Bring up the topic at the child health clinic or a doctor’s appointment.

Children’s vaccination programme – what is a full series of vaccinations?

A full series of vaccinations requires multiple doses against the same disease for complete protection to develop. Therefore, some vaccines will be given several times at the child health clinic or in school health care during your child’s life.

Vaccines in the children’s vaccination programme include:

• Rotavirus vaccine: rotavirus diarrhoea, 2 months, 3 months and 5 months
• Pneumococcal conjugate or PCV vaccine: meningitis, pneumonia, blood poisoning, ear infection, 3 months, 5 months and 12 months
• Influenza vaccine: influenza, from the age of 6 months to 6 years annually
• 5-in-1-vaccine (DTaP-IPV-Hib): diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib diseases such as meningitis, epiglottitis, blood poisoning, 3 months, 5 months and 12 months
• MMR vaccine: measles, mumps, rubella, 12–18 months
• 4-in-1-vaccine: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, 4 years
• MMRV vaccine: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, 6 years
• Varicella vaccine: varicella (chickenpox), 1.5 and 6 or 12 years
• HPV vaccine: cancers caused by the human papillomavirus, 10–12 years
• Dtap booster dose: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, 14–15 years

When does a child need additional vaccinations outside the vaccination programme?

There are situations where vaccinations outside the vaccination programme may be beneficial to your child.

• The influenza vaccine for children is included in the vaccination programme for children under school age. You can also protect your school-age children and adults in the family from influenza with an influenza vaccine – for children, the vaccine is available as a nasal spray.
• The TBE vaccine gives protection against tick-borne encephalitis – the vaccine is especially beneficial if you spend the summer in areas with a large tick population or spend a lot of time outdoors. For residents of certain regions, the vaccine is included in the vaccination programme.
• Hepatitis A and B vaccines, as well as the meningococcal vaccine, can provide sensible additional protection against serious diseases if your child travels abroad with you.

If you need a vaccine for your child or family, or need vaccination advice, please contact our customer service.

We give individual vaccines without an appointment at several of our locations. These include the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine, polio vaccine, influenza vaccine, and hepatitis A and combination vaccine.

If you need more than one vaccine, please book an appointment with a nurse or public health nurse.

Vaccinations for children and babies – symptoms and side effects?

After vaccination, your child may experience mild and harmless side effects.

After vaccination, your child may experience the following symptoms:

• tenderness, warmth and redness at the injection site
• fever
• tiredness
• irritability
• stomach problems and loose stools, especially after the rotavirus vaccine.

The symptoms usually improve in a couple of days. If necessary, you can give your child antipyretic and pain relief medication. For some vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine, symptoms may not develop until more than a week after vaccination.

Serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, are very rare. However, their possibility is taken into account, and therefore the vaccinator will monitor your child for about 15 minutes after vaccination.

My child is afraid of vaccination – what should I do?

Vaccination can be a big thing for a small child, and many are nervous about or even scared of vaccination. However, many are surprised by how quickly it is over.

The child should be told openly about what happens during the vaccination and why:

• The vaccine turns into an antibody in the body, preventing germs from making you sick.
• During vaccination, you can sit on your parent’s lap or next to them on a chair. You can take your own teddy bear or some other important toy with you.
• First, the nurse cleans the skin with a swab. After that, you must hold your arm completely still so the vaccination is over quickly. The needle feels almost like a mosquito bite. If you can, you can count to five at the same time.
• When the vaccination is over, you will get a plaster and a sticker or something else nice as a reward for being brave.
• After the vaccination, you must wait at the clinic for 15 minutes. If you feel normal, you can go home. You can play normally and attend hobbies on the same day.

Can a child be vaccinated with several different vaccines at the same time?

Yes – and this is often the case. In fact, many of the vaccines are combination vaccines that produce antibodies against many different diseases.

The combination of several different vaccines does not pose a problem for even a small baby’s body, as we all come into contact with several different pathogens every day. Therefore, combination vaccines are similar to a natural situation.

Vaccinations for children and babies when travelling abroad – what needs to be taken into account?

• Babies. Babies have not yet been given all the vaccines that protect them against serious diseases. For example, the MMR vaccine that protects against measles can be given earlier, if necessary.
• Tick areas. Going on holiday in the archipelago or other areas with large tick populations can be a good reason to get a tick-borne encephalitis vaccine for the whole family.
• Influenza. The best way to avoid an unpleasant holiday companion is for the whole family to protect themselves with an influenza vaccine.
• Hepatitis. Hepatitis A and B, which cause severe hepatitis, are present already in Central and Southern Europe. Hepatitis A and B vaccines are a sensible way to protect all family members if you travel a lot with your child.
• Long-distance travel. When you are planning to travel outside Europe, it is a good idea to find out your vaccination needs well in advance. Some countries require tourists to get vaccinated against yellow fever, for example.

The specialist for this was Paediatrician Maria Enlund-Cerullo.