Travel health advice
Travel health advice is provided both at the FSHS units and via a separate travel health advice service.
- You can receive certificates from your local service unit in case you need them before your complucary exchange studies.
- Read more about certifications and statements
Make sure your basic vaccinations are up to date
- If you are going abroad, check beforehand that your basic vaccinations are up to date.
- Make sure that you’ve had two MMR vaccinations (against measles, mumps and rubella), polio vaccination as a child, as well as tetanus/dtap vaccinations (against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis – whooping cough) according to the standard vaccination programme. A booster dose of polio vaccine is given only when travelling to a risk country. Dt/dtap is given as a child, at secondary school, during military service and/or at the age of 25. After this, a booster dose (dT) should be given every 20 years.
- Find out about your vaccination history by checking your vaccination card or maternity clinic card or by contacting your local health centre, the patient records archive, occupational healthcare or a relevant private medical clinic. If you have served in the Finnish Military, you can also contact the Finnish Defence Forces for this information.
- If you know you only need basic vaccinations (MMR, tetanus-d, dtap and polio) or vaccinations against hepatitis or tick-borne encephalitis, contact our assessment of the need for treatment team.
Check the required or recommended vaccinations for your destination
- Make a detailed travel plan before your trip.
- Complete a pre-travel health survey on the Self online service as early as possible. Check the vaccines you have already recieved so you can fill in the information about them in the form. By completing the survey at least 2 to 3 months before your trip, you will receive any prescriptions and begin any necessary vaccination programmes in time.
- If you’re due to start your trip in less than 6 weeks, also contact the FSHS unit of your study town to find out if a vaccination against hepatitis is required.
- A public health nurse will review your survey and will send you travel advice via Self. Travel health advice is provided in conjunction with a doctor.
- If you have underlying medical conditions or you are on regular medication, you need anti-malarial medication or there are other issues in your survey that require particular attention, the public health nurse will call you within 10 working days using the phone number entered in the FSHS patient register. Make sure that your contact information in Self is correct. Please also note that the call will come from an unknown number.
- Several vaccinations, such as those against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever require a doctor’s prescription. If any vaccines and/or anti-malarial medications are required, an FSHS travel doctor will issue an ePrescription direct to the pharmacy. Remember to buy the neccesary vaccines from a pharmacy. The availability of some vacciens is limited. Check the availability of the vaccines that you need from the pharmacy.
Do you need a certificate for examinations that are not automatically carried out in Finland?
If necessary, you can print an English file here:
