Adenovirus outbreak causes high illness rates among conscripts at Niinisalo garrison in Kankaanpää, Finland

The Niinisalo garrison in Kankaanpää, Finland, is currently experiencing an unusually high number of ill conscripts, primarily due to an adenovirus outbreak. According to Lieutenant Colonel Teemu Hokkanen, the chief of staff for the Pori Brigade, the number of sick conscripts is significantly higher in relation to the total number of servicemen.

However, it appears that the peak of the epidemic may be diminishing, as the number of health clinic visits has started to decline. Adenoviruses typically cause respiratory infections, with some strains also leading to diarrhea and conjunctivitis. Symptoms usually last about a week, and health accommodations are being granted based on individual conditions.

In addition to adenovirus, other respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, are also present at the Niinisalo garrison. To limit the spread of illness, the Pori Brigade has implemented measures reminiscent of those used during the pandemic, according to Hokkanen.

Meanwhile, the health situation at the Säkylä garrison is reported to be normal. The adenovirus is also spreading at the Kainuu Brigade in Hoikankangas, where measures are being intensified to contain cases of the virus. The number of adenovirus infections and related symptoms among conscripts in Kainuu has risen rapidly over the past week.

Lieutenant Colonel Jukka Vuorisalmi, the chief of staff for the Kainuu Brigade, stated that hundreds of conscripts are visiting the garrison hospital daily with various flu-like and respiratory symptoms, with tests revealing that 85% of them are positive for adenovirus.