Stopped BCG for children who are not at risk?!
Question:
Stopped BCG for children who are not at risk?
I have had a ltter saying that as my daughter is not considered to be at risk she will not get it when older
TB is on the increase and so is drug resistant TB
In the future they will come into contact with someone infected with TB , I have as I am a nurse
will we have an epidemic in the future
Is it because so many people who are at risk cost , and those not considered at risk must take their chance
could I pay to have it done privatley when the time comes ?
Answers:
BCG is one of the most widely used vaccines in the world, with an unparalleled safety record. BCG immunisation causes pain and scarring at the site of injection. The main adverse effect are keloids or large, ugly scars. The insertion of deltoid is most frequently used because the local complication rate is smallest when that site is used. If given subcutaneously, BCG causes a local skin infection that may spread to the regional lymph nodes causing a suppurative lymphadenitis.
If BCG is accidentally given to an immunocompromised patient (e.g., an infant with SCID), it can cause disseminated or life-threatening infection. The documented incidence of this happening is less than 1 per million immunisations given.
Several new vaccines to prevent TB infection are being developed. The first recombinant tuberculosis vaccine entered clinical trials in the United States in 2004, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). A 2005 study showed that a DNA TB vaccine given with conventional chemotherapy can accelerate the disappearance of bacteria as well as protect against re-infection in mice; it may take four to five years to be available in humans. A very promising TB vaccine, MVA85A, is currently in phase II trials in South Africa by a group led by Oxford University, and is based on a genetically modified vaccinia virus. Because of the limitations of current vaccines, researchers and policymakers are promoting new economic models of vaccine development including prizes, tax incentives and advance market commitments.