Does my 6mo need a BCG injection?

[MuffinMclay]

I've received a letter today saying that ds2 should have a BCG injection. He was born outside of the local NHS area in a very busy urban hospital in an area with a very high ethnic population. We live in a tiny village, very far-removed from this town, and never visit said town, and are not likely to travel anywhere further afield than France in the forseeable future. I consider him to be a very low risk for TB, although I'm willing to be told otherwise.

I phoned my GP's surgery and they said that he didn't need it and couldn't have it there because this area doesn't offer it.

I don't want to put him at risk, but at the same time I don't want to subject him to injections that he doesn't need at his age.

If he'd been born in a hospital in a different town it wouldn't be being suggested. Where I live in London I have the choice of three hospitals to give birth in. In one of them (north of the river) BCG vaccination is routine, in the other two (south of the river) it isn't. Yet I live in the same place and DCs' level of risk will be the same whichever hospital I happened to have given birth in.

In your position I wouldn't have him vaccinated.

I have had both dds done - it was better to get it over and one with when they're young imo.

I think it is better to get it over and done with too. TB is a truly horrible disease, incidence of it is rising in the UK and there is also increasing risk of catching it through contact with animals.