Vaccinations are a great preventative measure

What is a vaccination?

A vaccination is an immunisation designed to prevent a serious infectious disease. The vaccines are derived from attenuated viruses or bacteria and they contain substances found in these pathogens. The vaccines themselves cause few noticeable symptoms but elicit an antibody response in the body that prevents or reduces the likelihood of the vaccinated person falling ill with the vaccinated disease. 

Children are vaccinated against serious diseases that previously caused many deaths. Adults can also take advantage of the benefits of vaccination, reducing the risk of contracting serious illnesses while travelling to foreign places. As you age (60+) it is advisable to reduce the risk of pneumonia and influenza with vaccinations. 

 

All the standard vaccinations at your health care centre

Make an appointment with a nurse to receive vaccinations.

On My Pages on Heilsuvera is a summary of the vaccinations you have received, and you can also contact a nurse at your health care centre who will review this with you and advise you.

You can find more information about vaccinations below as well as on Heilsuvera.

Vaccinations for children and teens

Here you can see an overview of well-child care and school health care vaccinations at different ages:

 Age:

  Vaccination against:
 3 months whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, haemophilus influenzae disease type b (Hib) and polio in one injection, pneumococci in a second injection
 5 months   whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, haemophilus influenzae disease type b (Hib) and polio in one injection, pneumococci in another injection
 12 months whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, haemophilus influenzae disease type b (Hib) and polio in one injection, pneumococci in another injection and meningococcus C in a third injection
 18 months Measles, mumps and rubella in one injection and chickenpox in another injection
 2 and 1/2 years chickenpox
  4 years whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus in one injection
  12 years  measles, mumps and rubella in one injection. HPV, two injections given at least 6 months apart
 14 years whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus as well as polio in one injection

 

Travel health care is always changing

Vaccinations depend on both the trips, e.g. destination and situation there, length of stay and type of trip, and the tourist him/herself, e.g. previous vaccinations, diseases and allergies. 

All standard travel vaccinations are administered at Þönglabakki 1 and the Live chat on heilsuvera.is can advise you about them.

It is best to arrange for a vaccination at least one month before departure.

Take with you a record of previous travel vaccinations. You can also see an overview of vaccinations on My Pages on Heilsuvera. 

Travel vaccinations are also available at the Outpatient Infectious Disease Clinic. 

More information:


 

Seasonal flu

What is influenza, what are the symptoms and when does flu season start?

 Influenza is a viral infection characterised by high fever, dry cough, headache, body aches, muscle pain, often with sore throat and runny nose. The symptoms come on suddenly. The annual flu epidemic of influenza type A and often also of influenza type B often begins in December or January, but occasional cases are sometimes diagnosed earlier. It must be assumed that the onset of the flu epidemic can be anywhere from October to March. It usually takes 2-3 months for the epidemic to pass. 

Is the flu dangerous?

 The risk of serious influenza complications is highest among the elderly and people with suppressed immune systems, and each year the flu leads to death among senior citizens. 

Who is particularly advised to get vaccinated?

  • Everyone age 60 and older
  • Everyone, both children and adults, who suffer from chronic heart, lung, kidney and liver diseases, diabetes, serious diseases and other immunosuppressive diseases. 
  • Health care professionals who care for people at risk on a daily basis, such as the groups mentioned above.
  • Pregnant women

Those belonging to the above groups receive the vaccine free of charge but pay an appointment fee. 

How much protection does the vaccination provide?

A vaccination can be expected to provide at least 60-70% protection against the disease, and when vaccinated people do get sick the disease tends to be milder. The Chief Epidemiologist emphasises that as many people as possible should be vaccinated, not least those who belong to priority groups.  

It should be noted that vaccination can be effective even if an influenza epidemic has started, as it only takes about 1-2 weeks for protective antibodies to form after vaccination. 

If you need advice, please contact your health care provider. 

Arrangement of service

Influenza vaccination usually starts at the end of September. Arrangements vary from health care centre to health care centre and information on that can be found on the homepages of the health care centres. 

 

Vaccinations against pneumococci

Pneumococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae, are bacteria that can cause serious and life-threatening diseases, especially in young children and adults. 

Pneumonia is the most common disease caused by pneumococci in adults. 

Vaccinations for adults

  • It is recommended that all individuals 60 years of age and older receive a single inoculation of the polysaccharide vaccine (Pneumovax®)
    In general, no further vaccinations are recommended for individuals 60 years of age and older.
  • It is recommended that individuals age 19 and older who are at risk of serious pneumococcal infections and who have not been vaccinated against pneumococci receive one vaccination with a protein-linked vaccine (Prevenar13®) and also a polysaccharide vaccine (Prevenar13®) at least 8 weeks later.

No further vaccination is recommended until the age of 60 (polysaccharide vaccine)