BCG vaccine- would you opt in?

[bettythebuilder]

DD is 5, and I got a letter from school to say the BCG vaccines aren't done routinely now, just to those meeting the criteria.

One criteria is parents born in countries on the list, one of which is Zambia where I was born(only lived there a couple of years).

So I phoned the Health department, and even though my stay in Africa was short lived, as we 'tick the box' DD can have the vaccine. So I said yes, but now feel sick and shaky.
I know we're not high risk (altho I am hoping to take the family back to Africa next year for a holiday) I feel that dd is going to have an injection (possibly unnecessary one?) because of my birthplace.

I know my over-reaction about this is down to my phobia of needles (which despite hypnotherapy, I'm obviously not over yet! )

Dd is fine with injections (dh takes her ) so I'm sure she'll be OK.

Long, sorry (and a complete over-reaction ) but anyway, mn jury, wwyd?

Have it
If you live in an urban area you are also protecting your dd from the possibility of a locally acquired infection
We live in one London borough where it is not currently offered, but two miles down the road it is firmly recommended
It's not the nicest of immunisations but it is effective and afaik has a reliable safety record

Thanks, marina. i was consoling myself thinking that it would be better to have it at 6 than 16

Definitely

Because I am from a country that is considered higher risk, both my dd and ds had the BCG as babies. It was administered in their shoulder and was not a needle under the skin but more like a stamp of lots of pin pricks - hard to explain!!! Anyhow, they both were absolutley fine afterwards. I too took the opinion of it being better over and done with then, than as teenagers.

I would go opt in
We are in London and across the council border (at the end of our street) babies get offered it but we don't

TB is on the increase in UK. I cannot for the life of me understand why BCG is not offered to everyone. DS1 was found to have antibodies when tested at school at 16. He did have a very bad pneumonia when we first moved to this part of london, when he was little, now I am wondering if he was exposed to it then. Horrible disease to treat - I would much rather my dcs have the BCG.

this makes me boil actually.

as yes what does having foreign parents have anything to do with anything. I may be from the countryside but we might just might visit a high risk area such as parts of london (cos occasionaly we do) or even again be related to someone who is on the countries list etc etc. it's a small world, people are travelling anywhere and everywhere. So why are some/most people excluded?

Treatment for the disease is 6 months onantibotics. Is the cure really better than the prevention Mr Brown?

Have it. In my London borough it is routine for all babies under 2 yrs old.

Have it. My DD had it at 6 weeks in Hackney. My baby is going to be born in Tower Hamlets in a few weeks. Don't know their policy yet but I will be first in the queue. TB is rife round here.

My two were given it on the day they were born - in a London hospital. Can't believe they aren't giving it to everyone now?!

Yes, the laugh of it is that coming from Ireland, my children were considered at higher risk of catching TB when visiting the well to do suburbs of Dublin than they were from their birth place of inner city London!!!

Personally i would take it. Which country you have been born in is not totally relevant to whether you are at risk from being a carrier, rather in which country or even community you have lived in is more of an indicator as to an increase risk of being a carrier. You can be a carrier without showing any symptoms but still be contagious..

Fwiw, the vaccine itself has few side-effects and is very safe, though no longer particularly effective and in the unlikely case your dd ever comes into contact with someone diagnosed with TB then she would have to have the full treatment anyway.

Saying that, we live in Africa and all 3 of my dc have been vaccinated. A little protection is better than none.