| Vaccine against tuberculosis, known as Bacille | | | | a newborn who has immediately developed a mild |
| Calmette-Guerin (BCG) discovered by two French | | | | infection/primary complex, for example when the |
| scientists, Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin in 1922, | | | | child is born of a mother suffering from active |
| has got its own limitations, and its efficacy is highly | | | | tuberculosis, it will not cause any harm except that |
| variable. Still the vaccine is recommended for | | | | the local lesion/ ulcer at the site of injection will be |
| administration to all newborn to protect them against | | | | more marked. Hence the BCG vaccination is usually |
| pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis. | | | | done in the first few days following birth, and before |
| The newborn should not be denied this vaccination. If | | | | the child contracts the disease. |
| it is ignored, and the child is faced with a serious | | | | In highly developed countries like the USA, this |
| tuberculous infection, he may suffer from the active | | | | vaccine is only restricted to newborns who are more |
| disease, before he develops the primary complex. | | | | prone to tuberculosis, for example, when the baby is |
| However, if the infection is mild, a primary complex | | | | born of a mother suffering from the active disease, |
| will develop in a natural way, and the BCG vaccination | | | | or the child is in close contact with a highly infectious |
| will be of no value, as the child has already acquired | | | | drug-resistant patient of tuberculosis. In such |
| natural resistance, of course under risk. As just | | | | countries, the BCG vaccination is not administered, in |
| mentioned, had this infection been a gross one, the | | | | general, to all newborns, on the plea that this vaccine |
| newborn would have developed frank tuberculosis, | | | | makes the tuberculin test positive. Hence this test |
| leading even to death. | | | | loses its value in identifying 'infected' cases of |
| The BCG vaccination works on the principle that if a | | | | tuberculosis, in a specific community /population, as |
| newborn is vaccinated (or already infected in a | | | | may be required in certain circumstances. |
| natural way), he will face the subsequent infection | | | | However, the BCG vaccination has little value in the |
| much better, and the tubercle bacilli on entering the | | | | case of adults, as reported in some studies. It has |
| lungs are likely to be killed. However, as already | | | | also been mentioned that the vaccination may |
| mentioned, the usefulness of this vaccine does not | | | | prevent the reactivation of dormant/hidden tubercle |
| seem to be up to the mark. | | | | bacilli which may be lying in the body, but it may not |
| In this vaccination, the strains of Mycobacterium | | | | prove helpful, when there is infection of tuberculosis |
| bovis are weakened in their virulence (i.e. they | | | | from outside. |
| become unable to produce the disease), and hence, | | | | For vaccination of the newborn, 0.1 ml of the vaccine |
| when the BCG vaccination is administered, it will only | | | | is administered intradermally in the uppermost part of |
| cause an 'infection', and there will be no danger of | | | | the upper arm (deltoid). A crust is formed within 4 |
| the active disease. | | | | days approximately, which heals in about 4-6 weeks, |
| Even if the BCG vaccination has been administered in | | | | and the child thus develops hypersensitivity. |