BCG for newborn baby?

[nello]

I'm in Mexico and moving back to the UK in 2 momths time. LO is 8 weeks and my doctor has asked if in the UK they would be giving her a BCG jab. I think the answer is no, am i right?

also, do you know where I can find out what jabs she should be having to make sure we are doing the right thing over here?

thanks :)

in the UK BCG depends on where you live, some areas give it some don't

If you (or a close family member) have been in a country where TB is a real possibility then you can request/will be offered it.

My mum had TB maybe 10-12 years before DS was born. It came up during the medical history and we were offered it.

We don't live in an area where there is a known risk and the midwives/health visitors actually said DS didn't need it but the paed. consultant who was checking up on DS's heart murmur was keen.

If I'm offered it for next DC I think I'd have it again. It concerns me that a once almost extinct disease is on the rise again.

I've had to look this up too as we're in Botswana so DS will end up with more vaccines than he'd get in the UK. He did get a BCG at birth, but there's other things which aren't immunised against here which are standard on the uk.

The schedule i used is from here:

www.nhs.uk/Planners/vaccinations/Pages/Vaccinationchecklist.aspx

Hope this helps

TB is one of the most ineffective vaccines out.

Gooseberrybushes: Citation needed! (a peer-reviewed journal article would suffice).

It is dangerous and unhelpful to make such generalising, spurious and unsupported statements given the risks associated with not vaccinating.

how about the fact that it's been discontinued in most European countries, just google it, even regular GPS and conventional medics don't really argue this

citation needed my foot

go and have a look

I know what I was told by my GP and by an otherwise absoltuely vaccine neurotic Americn health authority

Discontinued as in 'no longer offered for free'? That's got nothing to do with efficacy.

Regards efficacy, some quick Googling uncovers www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8309034, which states that "On average, BCG vaccine significantly reduces the risk of TB by 50%. Protection is observed across many populations, study designs, and forms of TB."

My understanding is that it was no longer required as TB had been mostly eradicated in the UK (why vaccinate against something that isn't a risk?). However, TB is now on the rise (see www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Tuberculosis/ and www.nhs.uk/news/2008/05May/Pages/DrugresistantTBonriseinUK.aspx), which is why one might want to consider vaccinating against it.

So, what reputable sources support your claim that it's not efficacious? Links please!

Ooh, I can do proper links! In order:

• Efficacy of BCG vaccine in the prevention of tuberculosis. Meta-analysis of the published literature.
• TB - the Health Protection Agency
• Drug resistant TB on rise in UK

discontinued as in, if you want it they have to import it from abroad because it's no longer routinely available, recommended or stored in the country

and you always have to pay anyway by the way

lol at linking the health protection agency

Again, you've not provided anything to back up what you're saying.

If we're in to anecdotes, my wife was able to book her Mantoux and BCG with less than a day's notice with NHS Occupational Health (albeit a couple of years ago). No problem with supply whatsoever.

There are various employers (e.g. the NHS, some schools) that require their staff to be vaccinated against TB.

Croydon's TB vaccination policy states that they currently offer the BCG to people in certain risk groups. It doesn't sound as though it's "no longer routinely available, recommended or stored in the country".

And yes, you may (depending on circumstances) have to pay for the BCG. (My wife paid £45 for the Mantoux and BCG).

Out of interest, why scoffeth thee at the HPA?

I mean in Europe - I was talking about Europe, you asked me about Europe, you can't get it, you have to order from abroad

I think we are unusual in the UK

g33k - I think the TB vaccine is quite widely known to be quite ineffective - particularly in adults iirc. There is a lot of research going on at the moment to try to find an alternative because there is so much concern about it - not so much in the UK but it still kills about 2 million people worldwide and the vaccine just isn't preventing it. There was a recent news article about a new breakthrough towards the development of a new TB vaccine and even it mentioned that the current BCG vaccine offers limited protection. Here is a link to one article for you.

I had the vaccination at 4 days old since we lived in an area where there were a lot of recent immigrants so it is fine for a young baby if you live in an area that is at risk then it is worth considering currently looking through both links as to the pros and cons can't give you anymore advice than that sorry :)

An efficacy of 50% does make the BCG vaccine the least efficient childhood vaccine, or? The BCG doesn't protect against infection very well, but it does protect (to about 80%) from extra-pulmonary complications (for example tuberculosis meningitis). Each parent should look at the real risk in their community. Up here in Edinburgh, I would have not gotten the kids the BCG.

It says 75% protection against TB meningitis on the meningitis website here There are also usually under 120 cases a year in the UK