BCG shot? Does my baby need

[HJ82]

We live in London. Hospital said I needed to get my baby vaccinated with BCG but they couldn't do at the time of discharge
I've called health visitor and they said my baby doesn't need it. We are Australian and British... they said no need for baby based on that?? But we live in Haringey and apparently TB is high in our area.

Anyone had this conflicting info?

Baby is 3 weeks now.

It's up to each health area to decide, my kids were never offered it despite living in various cities with high immigration. I'm sure you can push for it if you feel they need it but it depends so much on living circumstances and lifestyle as to your risk

@stucknoue they made out like she was in immediate danger of getting TB! If someone spits out front and she's nearby etc. I don't know!! I come from a country where we don't even have this vaccine at all. Really confused now

You’d be surprised at how many people have TB!!! It’s a huge problem

Within immigrant populations

I live in a borough not far from you. My first 2 children were given the BCG as standard due to high TB but when I had my 3rd it was explained that unless your family comes from a high risk country it's not needed.

We had ours done before we left the hospital - St Thomas in London. We lived in an area with a high TB prevalence, as it sounds like you do. This was only 18 months ago. I doubt the advice has changed much since then. If it's been recommended and is on offer to you, why wouldn't you just pop in and have it done?

My two both got the BGC around 4 weeks due to family ethnicity. We now live in a country where it is required for school, and they have barely a mark, whereas the kids who had it aged 4 have big scars on their arm and had months of a lump.
If you think it might ge recommended for future travel, and it's been offered, I'd take it. It was much more traumatic for me than the kids!

My DS got it due to my husband’s heritage. I would accept it if offered in your circumstances.

In Lambeth we had to have it. We also weren't able to have it before discharge, but were told we had to return to the hospital to have it done. Worth doing it, doesn't take long.

I paid for ds3 to get one. Tb can be fatal and for me it was worth it. Ds3 was born back in 2016 when there was a shortage of the bcg and we received a letter by post that he had an appointment for the bcg three hours ago. The number on the letter was not being answered and three e-mails still remain unanswered. So after a year of waiting I decided to take him to fleet street to get it over and done with.

@sar302 because I'm being told my nurses at hospital it's needed and by health team that it's not needed. Hence me asking.. I thought all kids just get it in a city like this?! Happy for her to have it just want to know if I can put it off as she's so small! One midwife said get it done around 12 months. Always so much conflicting info with the med industry here! 🙄

Another thing is no one seems to be able to give it!! They couldn't give at hospital as they had none when we were leaving and midwife can't give and health team won't give due to her heritage so now I'm lost really. Gp?

For a baby, hospital, I believe. I dont think the GP does it that young.

London does vaccinate babies with BCG as the immigrant population is so high.

Bigger issue is increasingly TB is becoming antibiotic resistant in London.

I vaccinated because the area we live in had a very large ethnic population where TB was endemic. When my kids got to school the racial profile was 70% this community, so they would have come into contact at some point.

Also my eldest is now 14 and beyond pleased to have had it already as the year 9 panic is spreading :) smuggy mcsmugface :).

For that reason I’d get it done as it’s much less of a deal when they’re small, plus they grow so much the scar is tiny. I didn’t manage to get dc2 done as the clinic was fully booked to the point they were no longer taking phone calls and I couldn’t get her done in time.

The conflicting info is irritating! But it was standard in Southwark and Lambeth. And I assume a lot of other central boroughs. I've not had the best time with health visitors! I'm
Not convinced that they often have the most up to date information. Therefore I'd listen to the nurses and hospital over them. But you have to make the right choice for you.

Apologies if my first post was short - toddler had me up before 5am, so I'm possibly grouchy!

Call the gp and their receptionist can give you the number to call. At least that is what I did to confirm the number I had was correct.

Hi OP, I’m also in Haringey, and both of mine (born 2012 and 2018) had it as standard. Interestingly the documentation for DC1 says this was because of the local area, for DC2 two boxes are ticked - local area and also paternal ethnicity (southern African country).

I wonder if the issue you might have is that your hospital is presumably in another borough (Islington, Enfield or Hackney?) with potentially different rules, hence confusion? Mine were at the Whittington fwiw and I had to take my 2018 DC to the postnatal clinic for her bcg, at about 3 weeks, but I think that’s because she was born at home and usually it would have been sooner.

@NellWilsonsWhiteHair mine was at Whittington too and they recommended it but couldn't give it. Now I'm in limbo as I don't know where to take her to have it done. Health visitor can arrange but refuses to as we are both not from high risk areas. Useless. I'll call the Whittington and find out if I can get it at her pedi followup af 6 weeks. She was also premmie so I want to wait a bit. She's only 38 weeks in gestation age now...