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Did you have the BCG vaccine?

316 replies

aintnothinbutagstring · 16/04/2020 11:29

So there's been lots of media outlets mentioning the weak link between countries that have the BCG vaccine still on their schedule and low incidence/fatality of COVID, with countries that never had BCG (Italy/US) on their schedule having high incidence and fatality. I'm not really debating that, obviously much more research is needed. The general theory being the BCG jab boosts your overall immunity, or provides a blueprint for combatting other unrelated pathogens, particularly just after its given (which they are trialling on healthcare workers in Australia).

The question was posed to Michael Mosely on Twitter and he said well everyone in UK has had BCG and we have high incidence/fatality so that link can't be right. But I wonder how many have not had it here, most under 30s won't have had it unless considered at risk, but the rest of us between 30-70 should have had it right?

Except lots of people commented on Twitter that their council cancelled BCG vaccines in the 80s, their parents didn't consent, or they were off school that day. I'm in my 30s (northwest england) and had it, and I think most of my schoolmates did, apart from a handful that were either immune (Mantoux test) or scared of needles. Did you have it, or didn't and why?

OP posts:
Longtalljosie · 16/04/2020 19:49

@BabarEnFamille were you Dorset? I didn’t either

BabarEnFamille · 16/04/2020 19:58

Somerset, must have been a regional withdrawal of the vaccine then

ReturnofSaturn · 16/04/2020 19:58

Yes at high school. I'm 31.

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Jellycatfox · 16/04/2020 19:59

I don’t have it as I wasn’t born here. Nobody has it in my house

AvocadoPrime · 16/04/2020 20:02

I'm 27 and I've had it. It was done in secondary school.

OuterMongolia · 16/04/2020 20:05

I'm in my 40s and I had it.

italy93 · 16/04/2020 20:11

I did hear a rumour that the vaccination was only effective if it did leave that big scar. I've no scar and only had it about 8 years ago so wonder how true this is?

TheCountessatHotelCortez · 16/04/2020 20:20

I’ve got a huge mark!

underneaththeash · 16/04/2020 20:21

I'm 45 and should have had it at 12/13 but I was in hospital having my tonsils out at the time and there was no catch up. I had to very annoyingly have one at 40 due to some NHS regulation (I'm an Optometrist) even though the vaccine is less effective over 45.

Seems a bit spurious to me - older people are getting it more severely and they are the ones who are more likely have a BCG.

It's more likely that the countries with a higher land mass/population are getting more infections.

Kez200 · 16/04/2020 20:28

1953 to 2005 I heard. Although if the daisy thingy didnt flare up, or something, you didnt have it done. For some reason.

RainbowsAndReading · 16/04/2020 20:28

I didn't get it because a bruise appeared after the skin test you have before the BCG (something along those lines, far back in the memory now!)

Not sure if that helps me or not.

LazyFace · 16/04/2020 20:36

My last child was born in 2011 and still had one. I might have been just lucky to live in an area where it's still given.
It's one of the compulsory vaccines in my home country.

RingtheBells · 16/04/2020 20:42

I’m 62 and had it a secondary school in the early 70s, not sure how long it lasts though as that was nearly 50 years ago

CouldBeOuting · 16/04/2020 22:34

As I posted before..I had the vaccination but was told I wouldn’t get a lump because of how I had it. My immunity was tested when I was pregnant in 2002 (so around 20 years after vaccination) and I was still immune.

MistyIsland · 16/04/2020 23:04

Nopes I didn’t have it!

I had TB instead

Fiddlersgreen · 16/04/2020 23:11

I’m 36 and had it in secondary school.

My 13 year old had it as a baby but my 16 year old didn’t as we moved boroughs between them being born and the borough we moved to still offered it

MegaClutterSlut · 16/04/2020 23:22

I'm 37 and have had it done twice. Once when quite young due to a neighbour having tb and again at school. I did react to the pin prick test and they noticed my scar from my first jab but the fuckers did it again anyway

DixieFlatline · 16/04/2020 23:22

Am early 30s, had it in secondary school. I remember the meningitis C vaccine causing more sore arms than the BCG!

FairfaxHigh · 16/04/2020 23:24

39 and I definitely had it - still have the scar!

StinkyWizzleteets · 16/04/2020 23:28

I had it at birth (70s) and was tested in my thirties before travelling and still had antibodies. I was the only one in high school who didn’t need to get it.

Lasvegas · 16/04/2020 23:35

DD born 2002 had it a few days old. We were living in tower hamlets then. Moved to outer London and no one at her school who born same year had it.

sparkypigeon · 16/04/2020 23:35

31 and our school year had it although I can't see the scar anymore

booearing · 16/04/2020 23:38

I’m 42 and I had it at school when I was 14 or 15
Dp is 53 and had a reaction to the test so didn’t have to have it
None of our Dc have had it and the oldest is 22
I don’t know when or why they stopped the vaccine

Davros · 17/04/2020 00:01

I had it and I've got an autoimmune disease so I think it's nonsense.

MrsMop1964 · 17/04/2020 00:11

I had it in 1977-still have the scar. My child ,15 , had it in Brighton around 2008-ish, but only because her father comes from a North African country where TB is still a major issue.

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