Bird flu: instructions for those doing fieldwork and/or working with poultry

This bulletin on avian influenza is intended for students working in the field or potentially working with poultry.

The avian influenza situation in Finland was calm in 2024, but changes in the disease situation in wild birds have been observed at the beginning of 2025. Read the THL press release on the subject.

Transmission of avian influenza to humans is unlikely. However, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health has issued guidelines on protection against the avian flu (the link takes to a Finnish-language page). The guidelines are currently only available in Finnish and Swedish.

The City of Helsinki offers the vaccine free of charge to people aged 18 and over who are at increased risk of contracting avian influenza due to their job or other circumstances. If you have already received two doses of the vaccine in the past, you are sufficiently protected and do not need a booster this year. For more information on avian influenza vaccinations, visit the City of Helsinki website.

If you do fieldwork or are in contact with poultry, please proceed with caution.