Frequently Asked Questions

The disease spreads from person to person in several ways: through the air, blood, hands, or objects, as well as through food, drink, and soil (such as dirt) or sexually. Sometimes pathogens are transmitted by ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, lice, or animals.

Whether you get sick depends, for example, on your health status, the way and duration of exposure to the pathogen, and whether you already have immunity against it. You can protect yourself against many infectious diseases through vaccination.

To fight off an infectious disease, the immune system must first recognize the pathogens. The body then begins to produce antibodies specific to that particular virus or bacterium.

Antibodies have two tasks:

1. to attack the pathogens in order to destroy them and overcome the infection;
2. to protect the body from that infectious disease in the future.

The body does not start producing antibodies immediately after infection, but about two to three weeks later.

The next time the body encounters the same pathogens, the immune system is already prepared to defeat them and reacts immediately. As a result, the person may not get sick at all, or if they do, the symptoms are milder and resolve more quickly.

Recovering from some infectious diseases provides long-term or even lifelong immunity against them. In that case, you will no longer get sick.

For many infectious diseases, however, immunity does not last very long. First, the pathogen may alter its structure to such an extent that the immune system no longer recognizes it. Second, the immune system may not develop long-term “memory” when fighting the pathogen, and immunity fades over time.

A vaccine teaches the immune system to recognize the pathogen without you having to go through the illness. It contains parts of the virus or bacterium that allow the immune system to recognize the pathogen. However, the disease itself does not develop as a result.

If a vaccinated person becomes infected, the immune system immediately begins to protect the body, destroying the pathogens before they can multiply in large numbers.

This also prevents the spread of infection to others. However, this protective shield only works if a critical mass of the population has been vaccinated.

As vaccination rates have declined, outbreaks of disease have emerged in several European countries. A striking example is measles.

Vaccination is an effective and safe way to protect both children and adults from serious consequences. The more people who are vaccinated, the harder it is for the disease to spread—this way, we also protect those who, for whatever reason, cannot be vaccinated.

As a result of years of effective work, many dangerous diseases have nearly disappeared from Estonia. Unfortunately, this has created a false sense of security, as if vaccination were no longer necessary. In reality, infectious diseases are just as dangerous as before, and if vaccination rates drop, outbreaks will return.

Many diseases are most dangerous to infants. For example, more than half of severe cases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b occur in children under one year of age, and whooping cough is particularly dangerous to the youngest children. Infection with hepatitis B during infancy and early childhood is highly likely to result in chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Read more about childhood vaccinations.

After the initial administration of the vaccine, it usually takes two to three weeks for immunity to develop. In certain cases, the immune memory needs a “reminder” in the form of booster shots. This ensures the body is prepared to encounter pathogens.

In rare cases, vaccinated individuals do not develop sufficient immunity and remain at risk. It is also possible to get sick if one has a compromised immune system, such as in cases of immunodeficiency. It is also important to note that vaccines do not always provide lifelong protection.

In addition to particles of the pathogen(s)—or antigens—vaccines contain very small amounts of adjuvants that are safe for the body and enhance the vaccines’ effectiveness and safety. You can find a complete list of adjuvants on the package insert.

Read more about vaccine safety.

Vaccines do not cause illness because they contain only killed or weakened pathogens or their components, which are incapable of causing infectious disease.

As far as is known, vaccines do not affect susceptibility to other diseases either. However, vaccination may sometimes coincidentally coincide with the onset of a health problem.

Approximately 14,000 children are born in Estonia each year. The probability that the onset of a health problem will coincide with vaccination is therefore significant. Vaccines and their effects have been studied very thoroughly, and it is known that there is no proven link between vaccination and autism, diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, atopic dermatitis, or other diseases and health conditions.

Modern combination vaccines contain far fewer components than the disease-causing microbes themselves. For example, the combination vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae, and polio contains fewer than 25 components and antigens, whereas the bacterium that causes pertussis contains approximately 3,000 antigens.

The immune systems of humans, including newborns, are strong enough to benefit from vaccines. A child is exposed to many microorganisms at birth, and their immune system copes with them. Vaccine antigens are only a tiny fraction of what the immune system deals with on a daily basis.

No causal link has been found between vaccinations and autism, and vaccination does not have a negative impact on children’s development. On the contrary, the development of vaccinated children may even be better, as their bodies do not have to expend resources fighting serious illnesses during critical growth periods.

Some parents worry that vaccination may cause autism. There has also been talk of an “autism epidemic.” While the proportion of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has indeed increased, this is primarily due to the broadening of diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders and a general increase in awareness.

Genes play a very significant role in the development of autism spectrum disorder (as much as 80–90% according to studies). There is no specific gene or combination of genes that causes autism. There are many forms of autism, and they are based on different genes and their combinations.

This claim has been thoroughly investigated scientifically, and no such link has been confirmed. In 1998, British doctor Andrew Wakefield published a hypothesis that the MMR vaccine could cause autism. An article published in The Lancet described 12 children in whom a link between vaccination and autism was claimed.

To test this hypothesis, numerous studies were conducted worldwide, involving more than a million children. All of these studies confirmed that the MMR vaccine does not cause or contribute to autism—autism spectrum disorder occurs equally in both vaccinated and unvaccinated children. It later emerged that Wakefield had presented falsified data, and The Lancet retracted the article.

Read more about vaccine safety. See also research on this topic.

Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines, but extensive studies have shown that it does not increase the risk of autism. It may cause a local hypersensitivity reaction; no other side effects have been found. The vaccines used to fulfill the Estonian immunization schedule do not contain thiomersal.

Pregnant women are vaccinated only with inactivated (killed) vaccines, which do not pose a risk to the fetus. Vaccinating pregnant women is necessary because infectious diseases pose a risk to both the mother and the child.

There are few contraindications to vaccination. If a person is hypersensitive to a vaccine or any of its components, that vaccine will not be administered to them. Live vaccines are contraindicated during pregnancy and in cases of severe immunodeficiency.

If a person has a high fever or a severe illness (with or without a fever), vaccination is postponed until recovery. A mild illness (such as a cold) is not a contraindication for vaccination.

Like other medications, vaccines can have side effects, but these are generally mild.

Healthcare professionals who administer vaccines are familiar with side effects, their causes, and when they may occur, and can provide guidance on how to handle them. You can find more detailed information about the side effects of a specific vaccine in the medication information leaflet.

Monitor your own or your child’s health closely for 24 hours following vaccination. If you have concerns, contact your family doctor or call the family doctor’s advice line at 1220. If you need immediate assistance, call 112.

Read what to do in case of side effects.

In Estonia, the immunization schedule includes vaccinations against tuberculosis, hepatitis B, rotavirus infection, human papillomavirus (HPV), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, mumps, and rubella.

Effective vaccines are also available to protect against hepatitis A, influenza, pneumococcal disease, tick-borne encephalitis, cholera, chickenpox, shingles, rabies, and meningococcal disease.

When traveling to certain regions of the world, it is important—and in some cases mandatory—to get vaccinated against specific infectious diseases, such as Japanese encephalitis, typhoid fever, or yellow fever.

See a comprehensive overview of diseases, who and against what can get vaccinated in Estonia.

The goal of vaccination is to prevent infectious diseases, so it must be done before exposure to the pathogen. This is why preventive vaccinations begin in childhood.

Missing deadlines also has practical consequences: the state covers the cost of vaccines administered according to the immunization schedule and on time, but in case of delay, you must cover the costs yourself.

Talk to your family doctor. It’s always possible to continue with vaccinations. Read here as well about what to do if you’ve fallen behind schedule.