Rabies is present among animals in Ukraine. People fleeing the war in Ukraine are also bringing along pets whose health standards may not meet all the usual advance import requirements due to the circumstances.
If a person gets bitten
- Clean the wound immediately:
- First with soap and water for 15 minutes.
- Then with 70% alcohol, for example hand sanitiser.
- Go to a health centre or, outside office hours, to the nearest emergency clinic as soon as possible and tell them that the animal that bit you is from Ukraine.
Procedures concerning the animal
- The animal’s owner or guardian must contact the municipal veterinarian to report that the animal is from Ukraine and has bitten a person.
- The municipal veterinarian assesses whether there is reason to suspect that the animal has rabies.
- The municipal veterinarian checks the animal’s vaccination information and other necessary background information.
- The municipal veterinarian checks the animal for symptoms of rabies.
- The municipal veterinarian or the provincial veterinarian of the Regional State Administrative Agency issues instructions on the necessary procedures if there is reason to suspect that the animal has rabies.
- If necessary, the municipal veterinarian will contact the physician responsible for communicable diseases.
Contact details of municipal veterinarians on the Finnish Food Authority website (in Finnish).