Is it time to bring back the BCG (TB vaccination)

[milliec]

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I thought they still did it. ds is 16 and he had it done.

Yes, mine have all had it too at 14.

Certainly TB is on the rise in London. I've seen 2 new cases this week.

my 2 children had their bcg at 6 weeks old. we are in inner london.

I thought they only scrapped it last year? Remember thinking how our DCs would miss out on scab comparisons and scare stories about the 7-needle injection. It's a poor decision if TB is on the rise again though.

Tb is definitely on the increase in certain areas. That's why soem inner London boroughs are suggesting BCG for babies. In other areas often it just 'at risk' babies that are risk - these are generally babies of new immigrants from Asia.

We get it for ours because we have jobs which take us overseas to at-risk countries.

I didn't know it had been scrapped!

The problem with the vaccine is that it is only protecting you for 15 years, and it is not possible to give a booster.

Not really relevant, but I had TB as a toddler, back in the 60s.

I think it has been scrapped as a standard part of the vaccine schedule for all children but is still available in some high-risk areas. Seems a false economy IMO.

Both mine have had vaccine, we live in east london and there's been an increase in tb because of immigration. DD now has massive scar on arm where she got an abcess that had to be drained weekly, apparently with the new vaccine it's more common.

They had it at a few months old btw

They had it at a few months old btw

my 3 all have huge scars (well size of 5p) from where the injection site went horrid - was a good few months after the actual injection

My mother (75yo) has a scar the size of a 10p. I have no scar at all. It didn't scab up at the time so there was nothing to pick at.

Scabs AND veruccas in one night. Gosh, I have such an exciting life!

In the area I used to live (Mcr) we got a letter from GP saying it was no longer policy to give vaccine unless you were from an 'at risk' group - think this implied trips to Indian sub-continent. Surely given the way it can spread if you go into inner city at all you are potentially at risk of catching/spreading it? Only alternative we had was to pay - approx £80 I think. Given vaccine resitant strains that are emerging surely this is stupid policy on a cost-benefit basis? Is there a national strategy or do local areas just make it up as they go along?

It's only given now to at risk groups - there is quite a long list of groups covering everything from Eastern European immigrants to people living in certain London boroughs.

The idea is that blanket inoculation is expensive and unnecessary, especially as the vaccine has limited availability. So it's distribution is being targetted at those who need it most.

BCG is given to every child born in Ireland and usually in the maternity hospital.
If they miss you in the hospital they follow you up for call back.

When DD was born 3 years ago I wasn't allowed out of hospital with her til she'd had the BCG (East London/Essex health authority with a high Asian population) - the HV was surprised she'd had to have it (given DH and my heritage she ticks the 'other' box for Anglo-Irish-Austrian-Jewish in those census things, but I have fairly dusky olive skin and am often mistaken for being Asian mixed race (or Spanish, or Chinese, or Native American - oh, the fun!) - certainly the fuckwit paediatrician who told me DD didn't have jaundice thought she was that funny orange colour because of 'where I was from'...) but HV said it was probably just as well she'd had it as TB was rife in our borough!

She has a tiny scar about 2mm in diameter if that. I'm hoping it won't grow with her...

have have allegedly had tb!!

a girl in my office 13 years ago had it and we all had to be tested

my test was immune although i had not had bcg

they then x rayed me and i have a tb scar

health professionals all seem shocked by this but in a rather ignorant manner i am unsure what it now means for me or my dc's