BCG injection

[Kitkat05]

My sister was offered bcg for her newborn. We live in different boroughs. I wasn't offered it for my baby.

Now I'm a bit worried.

Anyone else baby not got the bcg?

I think there are only a few places in the country where it is offered. If your worried then talk to the practice nurse at your GP.

I think it depends on ethnicity. My kids both got offered it because of Asian heritage and the fact that grandparents travel back and forth.

The BCG vaccine is only offered if any of the baby's family were born in a country where there's a high rate of TB. Is this the case with the baby's dad or paternal grandparents?

There are also some areas in the UK with a raised TB rate where the BCG is routinely given to newborns, but there's not many. Being in a different borough might be the difference.

It's not commonly given to newborns. More don't receive it than do.

Forgot to mention that it wasn't offered to me.

Both my children had a bcg the day after they were born, as we live in an area in London that has high reported cases of TB. It has nothing to do with ethnicity etc.
There is a shortage of bcg immunisations, so if you refuse in the hospital then you will struggle to get it again until the child is much older; and obviously if you are in a low risk area they do not offer at all.

BCG as of about four weeks ago is only offered to infants with a high risk family background so no longer to every baby in particular (mainly London) boroughs

High risk family background includes
Parents or grandparents born, living or anticipated to live in a high risk country
Family history of recent TB in close relative

As infants only contract TB from spending prolonged and close periods of time with an infected person (eg not on the bus/out shopping) and BCG’s protection against respiratory TB at all and any TB in over threes is disputed, the benefit to the vaccination to lower risk infants is questionable hence the change.

This unlike a few years ago is not down to supply issues but about the ongoing questions as to whether BCG is a useful vaccination and who it is most beneficial for, given that its widespread use hiders effective TB screening.

The bcg is offered when a babys parents or grandparents are from a country with high cases of tb, or if they live in an area with a large population of people from those areas/a high tb rate.

My ds didn't get it, but if we had lived in the next county over he would have been offered.

Practice nurses don't do it. Usually a specialist service. Ask your HV although unlikely you're eligible.

My DS had it in 2018 because of the London borough we live in. My neighbour’s baby born in April 2020 also had it so if the rules have changed it’s very recent. Anyway I’m sure you could get it privately if you’re concerned?