Somehow I find this unnecessary and insulting

[sammyjayneex]

So my baby is 4 weeks old and I've had an appointment booked (without me even agreeing) for my baby to have the BCG vaccine. Before leaving the hospital I was told that my baby would be offered it because he's mixed race. I left the hospital thinking I'm not injecting my baby with chemicals on the basis he's 'mixed race'
I find it unnecessary and insulting. So a baby who lives on the same street as me won't be offered it because that child is White but mine will because he's mixed race. I find it insulting and won't be attending the appointment they booked for him without my consent. Any one else think it's unnecessary to offer it to babies based on skin colour?

that seems odd, we had the BCG because of where we live... my local area gives it to all babies

My 2 had this based on their fathers country of origin. TB is rife in many countries and if the children are having regular contact with relatives that regularly travel to their country of origin or if you visit regularly, it is wise to vaccinate. I think it depends on the ethnic mix of the child as to whether it is offered or not.

Did you get the wrong end of the stick? It's offered to all babies in areas at high risk of TB. Nothing to do with ethnic origin.

This is what the government say:

If you answer ‘Yes’ to any of the following questions your baby should have a BCG vaccination if he or she hasn’t already had one.
• Are you, your family or your baby’s father or his family from a country with high rates of TB? If in doubt, talk to a health professional
• Will you and your baby be going to live for more than three months or travel frequently in one of these countries in the near future?
• Is there anyone in your house, or anyone else who is likely to have
prolonged contact with your baby, who either has TB, or has had it in
the past, or comes from one of these countries?

This is the leaflet.

I'm not sure that's true, you get offered it usually for living in an area with high rates of TB. My baby had it when he was 3 weeks old.

I'm mixed race and I don't find it insulting. There are higher rates of TB, for instance, in the black and Bengali communities. So it would make sense if you were from one of these communities to vaccinate your baby.

It makes sense anyway. TB is a horrible, horrible illness.

Your actually wrong on this one. If your child is mix race and the parents are are either black or Asian, you have more of a chance to travel abroad where the disease are more prevalent. By you not doing your duty as a parent is putting your child at risk.
It's only insulting if you don't travel to places like Africa, parts of Asia or South America. Which means your child has more probability to not be infected.

Just seen you're not planning on going. That's incredibly irresponsible. Would you rather your baby got TB?

Well either they were going to great trouble and expense to exercise their racist angst, OR they are trying to keep your baby safe.

Ffs. Talk about first world problems. There are parents who DREAM of having been offered the BCG.

It's usually about where you live, we lived in an inner city area where the risk of TB was high due to the multi-ethnic nature of the community. Personally, I'm glad my son had the BCG, as it's a horrible disease and can be quite hard to treat.

I'd love for my (white) baby to have the BCG vaccine. My grandmas family was wiped out by TB - half died, it disproportionately affected the adults, her grandparents ended up caring for 12 children. TB is a killer, any chance of protection against it should be grabbed with both hands IMO

We were offered it as we have traveled and will travel to affected areas, nothing to do with skin colour.... I take all vaccines that are offered to my DC as I want to protect them as much as I can.

The midwife said to me that it is being offered because he's mixed race. I didn't get it wrong. All my husbands family don't live here and don't visit and we don't visit them ( too expensive) so maybe they should ask first whether they would be visiting a country with high rates instead of assuming coz he's mixed race he will someone how contract it by visiting relatives

My dd was offered BCG based on ethnic origin and I understand why. Where I live is majority white but I know my daughter would travel abroad to areas of high risk with polio and tb, depheria, measles and the lot.

Are you always so easily insulted?

My (white) sister in law had both her boys vaccinated because she was born in S. Africa

Maybe stop being so offended and just have your baby vaccinated to protect him from TB?! It's a horrendous, life threatening illness, why would you not?!

Oh fgs step off your high horse. This is not about racism. Do you really not want your child protected from a life threatening disease?

And if your baby does get TB? Will you feel better knowing that you made a stand against all those stupid midwives and research scientists?

I'm insulted because instead of asking us whether we travel abroad and could there be a possibility we would be visiting a country with high rates they just assume because he's mixed race we MUST be doing but if I don't go abroad and most likely will it until the children are gown up to adults then why would I give it him unnecessary? Our areas as far as I know isn't a high risk group so I would basically be giving it him based on skin colour which is stupid

So basically I should give it him based on the fact his fathers family come from another country even though we will never be visiting the country and they won't be visiting us?

I'm going to assume you gave birth in an NHS hospital and not the The Portland?

Do you think they have time to interview every parent and go through the ins and outs of their family tree/family relationships?

If you don't want the injection, simply pick up the phone and cancel it.

But there's no point in all this outrageous indignation.

Not many years ago every child in the Country was offered the BCG, regardless of colour or creed. Don't make a problem when there isn't one

Jesus wept. I despair.

OP. I am mixed race. My son is. He was offered the vaccine.

I took it, because I don't want him to die of TB.

Ita not just about travelling there, if the child has a parent or grandparent that were born in a country with high rates of TB,the chold should be vaccinated.

You say you don't live in a high risk TB area, how do you know? What research have you done?

I think you are lucky. My baby is not mixed race and I had to fight to get the BCG vaccine for him due to shortages with the stock. My child was two weeks shy of a year before I managed to get the vaccine for him via the NHS so to me you are unnecessarily endangering your child's health based on a perceived prejudice. What a strange thing to get huffy about.

Save your energy for the proper battles and unfortunately with a mixed race child you may have a few to fight.