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Directorate of Health Frontpage

The Directorate of Health

Fee for whooping cough (pertussis) and measles vaccinations 2024

28th May 2024

The government has agreed to extend the priority groups for the vaccination of whooping cough (pertussis) and measles due to the whooping cough outbreak and the recurrent importation of measles in connection with the large measles outbreaks in Europe in recent months.

Vaccine

- Automatic translation -

This means that certain groups of adults can get the vaccines at no cost at least through this year.

Whooping cough vaccinations

  • Traditional priority groups continue to receive vaccines at no cost;

    • pregnant woman in the second to third trimester of pregnancy, the first vaccination of the child, according to the National Childhood Vaccination Program.

    • children living here receive the vaccination.

  • Additionally, adult household members of children in the following risk groups can receive vaccination free of charge if it is time for a booster (10 years from the last vaccination).

    • Expected birth of a child in the next 2-3 months.

    • Preterm infants (take special care if a child was born before the vaccination was given during pregnancy) who have not received at least 3 doses of the peripheral pertussis vaccine as scheduled, of which at least one dose was given after 11 months of age.

    • Children under 6 months of age regardless of the child’s vaccination status

    • Children 6-12 months old who have not received at least 2 doses of the pertussis vaccine as scheduled.

Healthcare centers and others who provide vaccinations according to this require to order contract vaccines from a distributor as is the case with general vaccinations of children; vaccines purchased on prescription cannot be refunded.

Vaccines that can be used for adults according to the above are Boostrix (vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) or Repevax (vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio). Other vaccines that are on the general market are not paid by the Chief Epidemiologist and vaccines are not refunded if vaccination has already been done.

Measles vaccinations

  • Traditional priority groups continue to receive vaccines at no cost;

  • Additionally, people born 1975-1987 who have not already received two doses of measles vaccine and plan to travel within 6 weeks in 2024 can receive one dose of MMR vaccine at no cost.

People born before 1975 are not vaccinated according to this. Vaccines must be prioritized for those groups that are known to have insufficient immunity against measles and other groups must not be vaccinated during this condition.

People born in 1988 and later who were vaccinated according to the Icelandic program should have already received two doses of MMR, but the central vaccination database does not go back that far. People born in 1988-2003 who have a reasoned suspicion that they have not received the vaccination, for example people with egg allergy who were considered a contraindication for vaccination, need to consult their healthcare.

Healthcare centres and others who provide vaccinations according to this require to order contract vaccines from a distributor as is the case with general vaccinations of children; vaccines purchased on prescription cannot be refunded.

Vaccines that can be used for adults according to the above M-M-RVAXPRO. Other vaccines that may be available on the general market are not paid by the Chief Epidemiologist and vaccines are not refunded if vaccination has already been done.

The Chief Epidemiologist