Am astounded they have introduced BCG for newborn babies in our area

[dinny]

Got a leaflet in an antenatal pack - am really shocked (we are in Surrey), hadn't realised TB was so rife..... (is it?)

[2point4kids]

Its common in quite a few areas. Usually poorer areas though.
Mine had it at birth but that was living in Tottenham.
Perhaps they are now spreading the initiative out further afield..

[hana]

has been common practice in london for at least 7 years ( dd is almost 7) so maybe they are just pushing out the perimeters

[dinny]

yeah, knew it happened in pockets of London, first I've heard of it out here

[dinny]

Hana - I had dd and ds in London (they are 6 and 3) and it wasn't in our area then (Tooting). My friend who had her children at same time at the Homerton had it though (at a year old, iirc)

[rislip]

Well I was in Richmond and had to have one for my dd. It was to do with being under the flight path and being so close to heathrow supposedly.

[ScaryHairy]

I was told by a specialist at a London hospital that London TB rates are getting as bad as Calcutta.

I lived in a "nice" area of London and my daughter was in contact with TB. They are particularly keen on giving the jab in areas which are close to major airports, which I suppose is a lot of the South East.

[dinny]

why UNDER the flight path?

[Beeper]

LOL does TB leap out of planes.

[rislip]

I can't really remember, i was in a daze after labour. It was at West Middlesex Hospital and that's all I can remember them saying.

[hana]

we aren't far from airport

it's not really being 'under' the flightpath but being in close proximity to such a busy international airport

[dinny]

must be our proximity to Gatwick then

[dyzzidi]

My dd had it as a newborn as Dh works overseas in quite remote places and there was a risk of him carrying it back IYKWIM

[hana]

my poor kids have awful scars from the jabs - they reacted several months after the actual jab and it went all puffy and angry looking.

[BigBadMousey]

I had mine done at birth as I was born outside the UK.

Was great when it came to all my classmates having theirs done at 15 - they all had big blisters and scars and scared each other to death with horror stories of the process and I got to escape it all

[ScaryHairy]

My daughter has a scar too.
Hers went all yuck and stayed that way until she was given IV antibiotics for something unrelated months later.
Still, it is better than TB any day of the week and like I said it is becoming really common. In the last two years we've had 3 letters from the public health authority saying that one of us has been in contact with TB.

[AbstractMouse]

Ooh Dp works at an airport, is it worth me enquiring about it for the dc's?

[LynetteScavo]

My niece had it - she lives in the manchester area and has a grandparent born abroad. DS2 could have had it this year (reception) as same grandparent was born abroad. Niece had such a bad reaction though, (and we have no ties with country grandparent was born in) I decided against it.

[LazyLinePainterJane]

I had mine at birth as my Grandfather had TB. I have no scar now, unlike all my peers who had theirs in their teens, but not sure if that is a reason in itself to give it (aside from the vaccine thing of course ) Just don't feel at ease with injecting newborns.

[BigBadMousey]

I have a tiny scar from mine but I wonder if they do it differently on the continent. I was told they just scratched me with the needle (which is what it looks like - two small scratches).

Scar definitely better than TB for sure!

[EffiePerine]

It is in my area of London - DS had the BCG at 6 weeks.

[Themasterandmargaritas]

We live in Africa and I came back to the UK to have my dc, when I tried to get a bcg for the second one in RUH Bath,it was impossible. No one would give him one, so we waited til we arrived back in Cameroon and did it easily there

[Belgianchox]

it was compulsory in france for schools etc until jult last year, mine both had it when we arrived here. in belgium it wasn't offered at all.

[CristinaTheAstonishing]

DS born at Queen Charlotte's 8 years ago had the BCG innoculation. DD1 born at Kingston hosp. 3 years ago didn't. DD2 born at Kingston's 9 months ago did.

I'll try and find some up-to-date info on the rationale etc.

[PrincessPeaHead]

brilliant, much much better than having it as a pre teen or teen