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

Finland to roll out vaccines for bird flu as soon as next week in world first- as human cases of virus spread across the globe READ MORE: Doctors warn CDC is unprepared for bird flu outbreak By Luke Andrews Senior Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 14:02 EDT, 25 June 2024 | Updated: 14:27 EDT, 25 June 2024 e-mail 8 shares 22 View comments 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 .