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Multicultural families

Here's where to share your experience of raising a child or growing up in a multicultural family.

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Original poster

BCG (TB) vaccination

23 replies

pinkmagic1 · 21/06/2005 10:33

I found out yesterday that DS should have been given a BCG vaccination shortly after birth at hospital due to DH coming from a high risk country.
Ds has now been put at risk as we traveled to Egypt in November to stay with the inlaws and will probally have to have a Heath test (six needles) to test his immunity instead of just a simple vaccine.
I am very annoyed and worried as one of the first things I was asked after the birth was DS etnic origin.
Was anyone else offered the vaccine or did you have to ask for it and at what point was it given, eg on the delivery ward or after?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Kelly1978 · 21/06/2005 10:44

I was offered it, and we were told to take the twins up to the lung unit at the hospital if we wanted it done. My twins are mixed race so they were offered it, but dp was born here, and they are at no increased risk, so I didn't actually get it done.

Kelly1978 · 21/06/2005 10:46

btw they were supposed to have it done at 4-6 weeks, so it was well before the usual vaccination programn. This is the other reason I didn't get it done - if they had developed temperatures, I wouldn't have been able to give them anything for it.

MarsLady · 21/06/2005 10:47

I made sure that all of mine got the BCG due to the increase in TB etc. It was easier having it done whilst they were tiny. Didn't really know much about it for DS1 and DD1 so they will get it within the next couple of years. Shame really, cos now they'll know about it.

Kelly1978 · 21/06/2005 10:47

also don't worry about the heath test - it is painless.

MarsLady · 21/06/2005 10:48

kelly, the vaccination is now a "sleeper" vaccination. They get the jab and no symptons for a few months. Just an ugly blister looking thing for a few weeks.

Kelly1978 · 21/06/2005 11:28

They told me that there was a risk of a temp and it was a live vaccination. Maybe her info was out of date. I was thinking about trying to get it done once they have had the other jabs, since they might be at risk once they start mixing with other children, as we were told they there are a lot of refugees here, with the immigrancy center being just down the road and they might be at risk more. I don't know if they will still do it tho.

MarsLady · 21/06/2005 11:34

how old are they again?

Kelly1978 · 21/06/2005 11:36

3 months on thurs. Time flies .

Gobbledigook · 21/06/2005 11:39

It differed with all my 3.

Ds1 - automatically called for it if born at that hospital

Ds2 - given letter with form to fill out if you wanted it

Ds3 - not offered routinely at hospital, now based on address so we no longer 'qualified'

However, as ds1 and ds2 had it, I managed to get ds3 a jab too. I think they have to have it before 12 weeks. Ds1 and ds2 were about 4 weeks and ds3 was about 10 weeks.

We are not high risk in terms of ethnic origin or anything, but we do live in a city and really since it was offered with ds1 I took it and then the others had it for 'completeness' if you like - now I know they've all had it.

How old is your ds - can you get him vaccinated now?

Gobbledigook · 21/06/2005 11:40

Yes, like Mars I just thought that with it being on the increase and since, although we don't live in the middle of Manchester, we do travel in I'd rather they were protected.

MarsLady · 21/06/2005 11:44

I think it's worth giving the clinic a quick call and checking it out. Of course I'm not saying that you must have them done, but maybe you could find out a little more about it kelly.

Totally up to you doll. I know what a palaver it is getting them out etc and you may not feel the need.

Kelly1978 · 21/06/2005 11:52

I would like to get it done after they have had their other jabs, jsut with two of them I didn't want to risk them getting ill when they were so tiny. I will call once those are out of the way.
I'm supposed to take them for hip check scans too 'just to be on the safe ide'. but like u say it is such a palaver getting them out. I've only had them weighed once since they were born.
How old is your ds, pinkmagic?

Original poster

pinkmagic1 · 21/06/2005 15:32

DS was a year last week. The doctors called me back this morning just after I posted on here and said he should of been routinely offered the vaccine in hospital because of his background but he slipped through the net. He has an appointment for a heath test at hospital on thursday. Its a shame because if they had done it before 3 monthes he wouldn't have had to have the heath test.

OP posts:

Kelly1978 · 21/06/2005 16:02

oic, glad u got that sorted then. So i guess mine would need the heaf test too. I can remember that in school, didn't feel a thing.

josephjaidensmum · 01/10/2006 04:32

hiya my little one was given bcg at hospital.1 day old (poor babies) theyl thank us one day
i think that they now offer it to all bvabys of any mix race paretage.
but while visiting a frieng with baby at same hospital
she had to ask for it.
so it culd be like this everywere some times u get it some times you dont

admylin · 01/10/2006 09:24

Now I'm worried, no one ever offered us those vaccinations and we went to Bangladesh when the kids were really small, dh is Indian. No wthey are 7 and 8 year sold would you reccomend I try to get it done?
Once we went to a hospital for dh to translate something for an Indian who was very ill with cancer. We were in his room for 15 minutes. He died shortly after and the hospital discovered that he also had TB although the cancer was the cause of death. Every person who had visited him and could be found was made to go for tests, all the ward staff too. Makes me worried especially since we moved to Berlin, I would say over half the population is from Russia.

josephjaidensmum · 03/10/2006 00:08

dont worry
you can still go to the hv and ask for it, or when you get slip for next immunisation ask for it
i think it is different in different hospitals , different places,
i go away often and family are always visiting us from africa, and usa so it was best for us for him to have it, he had it at one day old, awwww
dosent even cry for his imunisations any more.
anyone who hasnt been given bcg for there baby or toddler if u want call your gp, or health visiter as they shold be able to advice you

crushersmum · 05/12/2006 02:07

My daughter was ofered it at 6 weeks & back then it took 6 months to organise a heath test ( as it was still only given out to teanagers then). My second I asked for the test at birth ( 1 day old) so that I had no heath test needed. Don't worrry if you miss out by years as all 14 year olds are now offered BCG if they have none british origins when they are at school - To which we reply Did that 14 years ago...
The reality is that it is a very difficult disease to catch & cures are now so good that only very high risk behaviour is a problem ( living in anm overcrowded hut in South America for a few months... Not a problem)

MomOnTheRun · 08/12/2006 04:28

It's best to have them done young. The scar on the arm won't look so bad. My children were all offered the jab when they were born. My eldest daughter will be 13 at the end of this month.

However, my neice had hers as a teenager at school and it swelled up so badly for years. The NHS would not accept responsibility so she had to go to a private hospital to get the fluid pumped out. I don't want to scare you, she may have been a rare case. But just to inform you that there may be a reaction to the jab.

chalkie · 15/12/2006 21:19

my eldest and my youngest daughter where both vacinated but my middle daughter wasent so i dont have to remember which one i tried to get dd2 vacinated I have not managed to find any where that does them in london apparently the portland does them for two hundred pounds. Because my uncle suffered from tb and we have quite alot of contact with visiting columbians dd2 was put on a high priority list at the health workers, who now dont know any thing about it. DD2 is coming up to 3 yrs old now. anyone have any tips?

MomOnTheRun · 17/12/2006 06:18

I'm surprised that your HV have not insisted that your child gets the BCG. I would phone up your GP's surgery and request an appointment to get it done. Why fork out of your own pocket!
£200 is a lot of money for an injection. I've see it for £70 advertised on the net. Do a search for BCG vaccine and find one local to you if you are really worried and want to pay for it.

kiskidee · 17/12/2006 08:48

i would think that living and working in some parts of London has the same risk of TB as Egypt. I don't think you need to worry too much or be too upset about not receiving the TB vaccine while in hospital.

catching tb is not quite like catching a cold. you have to be exposed to a tb patient for fairly long periods of time and be in fairly intimate contact before the risk increases.

also remember that the vaccine does not guarantee immunity as it doesn't 'take' to everyone and immunity decreases with age.

that said, the tb test won't be traumatic and neither is the vaccine. inconvenient for you, but not truamatic.

bubblymummy · 18/12/2006 20:22

Some health authorities offer all babies the BCG, some only offer it to certain babies. My son was offered the BGC by the HV as my father had childhood TB and now spends alot of time in 'risk' countries and my mother is Asian. The clinic I went to didn't want to give it to him as they couldn't see the link (DS is blonde at the moment) and I had to have this tedious conversation about his background to 'justify' him getting. Personally I think living in London is justification enough. If anyone wants the vaccination for their little one you should insist.

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