Overview of adult immunization in Finland: Successes, lessons learned and the way forward

Abstract

ABSTRACT The exchange of knowledge and best practices is essential for improving adult vaccination strategies across the European region. Finland serves as a valuable example, with a centralized, publicly funded National Vaccination Program (NVP) supported by national evaluation for decision-making based on comprehensive population-based registers. These registers enable assessment of disease burden, facilitate the identification of high-risk groups, and enable evaluating vaccination coverage, impact, and safety during the implementation. The NVP allows a centralized tender with lower vaccine prices, centralized vaccine procurement, and uniform processes for vaccine administration by public health care. Despite these strengths, Finland faces challenges in adult vaccination similar to other EU countries, including budgetary constraints, as well as the need for improved implementation, especially for high-risk groups. The complex evaluation, decision, funding, and procurement process causes delays in vaccine introduction into the NVP. This review describes Finland’s adult vaccination system, from policy to implementation, drawing on a structured search of PubMed/MEDLINE, gray literature (2009–2024) and expert input. While there are areas for further improvement, Finland’s commitment to provide cost-effective, equitable, evidence-based vaccination programs with high coverage, including for at-risk subpopulations, ensures continued progress.