Estonian Health Board: Vaccination coverage among children has dropped to critical levels

TALLINN - According to the Health Board, the vaccination coverage of children in Estonia has dropped to a critical level, where the probability of dangerous infectious diseases being brought to Estonia and outbreaks occurring is high.

Experts stress that the status of children's vaccinations must be reviewed before the start of the summer break.

"The summer break is approaching for both school and kindergarten children. Summer is a time for family vacations and travel. This also increases the risk of bringing dangerous infectious diseases to Estonia. Most of these diseases are still just a plane or boat trip away from us," Hanna Jäe, head of vaccination services at the Health Insurance Fund, said. "Therefore, we recommend that you review your child’s vaccination status with your family nurse or doctor and make sure to get the necessary vaccinations before the summer."

"We have already had five cases of measles that have been brought in to Estonia this year, and one infected person had as many as 40 close contacts during the infectious period. Thanks to the quick action of healthcare workers and epidemiologists, there has not been a major outbreak, but the risk of one is very high," Kärt Sõber, head of the infectious diseases epidemiology department at the Health Board, said. "Measles cases have increased tenfold in Europe in the past year. The number of whooping cough cases has increased dramatically. There was also a case in Latvia just this fall where a family fell ill with diphtheria and a four-year-old child died. Germany also recently reported a diphtheria outbreak."

According to pediatrician Reet Raukas, most infectious diseases against which vaccination is carried out in Estonia are particularly dangerous for children.

"We have seen an increase in whooping cough cases at Tallinn Children's Hospital. The youngest patients have been only a few weeks old. In order to protect a tiny baby who has not yet received the vaccine, other children and adults in the family must be vaccinated," Raukas said.

When traveling, it is essential to make sure that your children have received all of their immunizations on time. It is also worth consulting with your family doctor or infectious disease doctor about which diseases you should be vaccinated against for your specific travel destination.

Spring is also the time for many children to graduate from kindergarten. Parents whose children will start school in the fall should make sure that all pre-school vaccinations are up to date. Statistics from the Health Board show that more than a third, or 37 percent, of seven-year-olds have not received the necessary vaccinations for the start of school.

According to the Health Board, as of 2024, vaccinations according to the immunization plan (against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio, measles, mumps and rubella) have been administered to 83 percent of two-year-olds and 80 percent of three-year-olds, while 63 percent of seven-year-olds and 78 percent of eight-year-olds have been vaccinated against these diseases. Altogether 74 percent of 14-year-olds are protected against measles, mumps and rubella and 74 percent of 16-year-olds against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation, at least 95 percent of people must be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks.

The aim of the national immunization program is to ensure timely vaccination of children and adolescents in order to prevent and curb the spread of dangerous infectious diseases. To this end, the Health Insurance Fund procures all vaccines prescribed in the program.

Estonia provides free vaccinations against tuberculosis, hepatitis B, rotavirus infection, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, rubella, measles, mumps, polio, HPV and Haemophilus influenzae type b.

Adults are vaccinated against diphtheria and tetanus every 10 years. Free flu vaccinations are also provided to at-risk groups, including children aged six months to seven years.