Hantavirus in Finland — 2007

Major Finnish Puumala virus epidemic — bank-vole peak drives thousands of cases

Overview

2007 was a major Puumala virus epidemic year across Finland and central Europe, driven by a strong bank-vole population peak. Finnish surveillance by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) recorded thousands of confirmed cases nationwide, with eastern and central Finland — the heartland of bank-vole habitat — most affected. The epidemic illustrated Finland's standing as one of the highest per-capita hantavirus-incidence countries worldwide and prompted seasonal public-health advisories about cabin cleaning, woodpile handling, and forestry occupational exposure.

Finland baseline

Puumala virus (nephropathia epidemica). One of the highest per-capita hantavirus incidences worldwide.

Source: THL Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare

Relevant strain

References & primary sources

• THL Finland — Infectious Diseases

Other years tracked for Finland