The best vaccine against tuberculosis is a BCG vaccine. You ask, where did such an interesting name come from? The source is Latin, the translation of which the abbreviation literally means the fight against bacilli. The main objective of the vaccine is to protect the human body from the initial encounter with the infection. This drug contains tuberculosis microbacteria. These bacteria are alive, but do not pose a threat to health, as their function is weakened. After the bacilli enter the body, they develop a specific immunity that can cope with mycobacteria that are dangerous, in case a person has to meet them.
BCG vaccination for newborns
Even before the baby is discharged from the hospital, he is given the BCG vaccine. This is approximately the fifth day after birth. The drug is injected into the shoulder intradermally, near the site of attachment of the deltoid muscle.
BCG vaccine response. At the site of vaccination, a densification of tissues should gradually form, and then a bubble is visible. Size should not exceed 10 millimeters. The abscess dries up and a crust protrudes in its place. Six months later, only a small scar reminds of vaccination.
The main thing is not to touch the vaccination site. You can not remove the resulting crust, open the bubble and do not apply disinfectants. The main concern of parents is to control the reaction of the baby. If complications arise, you should immediately go to the hospital.
Re-follow BCG vaccination
Revaccination, that is, re-vaccination, should occur at 7 and 14 years.
Contraindications to vaccination
In no case should such a vaccination be given if the child suffers from severe immunodeficiency, who has had tuberculosis and is ill with cancer. Also, vaccination is not suitable for those children in whom brothers and sisters have suffered a severe reaction to this drug. Such cases are rare, but they are. The most common contraindication is the development of an acute illness in children. First of all, vaccination should be postponed and the doctor's prescription must be followed. It is recommended to return to the vaccine only on the 3rd week after full rehabilitation. Of course, this period is quite mobile and should be discussed with specialists. The reason for the categorical refusal of vaccination is an exacerbation of a chronic disease or an urgent illness of the child.
The most common reactions to bj:
- The appearance of a cold abscess. This is pus that is brewing in the vaccination area. It occurs as a result of getting under the skin of the drug itself.
- An ulcer forms, a little more than 10 millimeters. This is as a result of an increased sensitivity of the body.
- The nearest regional lymph node may become inflamed.
- A large scar may form. If this consequence occurs, revaccination is contraindicated.
- Infectious generalized process. The vaccine can cause the disease if severe immune damage occurs. But, such a pathology is single, so there is nothing to be afraid of.
- At the injection site, there may be bone damage, the so-called osteitis or osteomyelitis. This is also an isolated phenomenon.
Recently, the BCG vaccine has been causing a lot of controversy. Is it worth it to do at all if the threshold for the incidence of tuberculosis continues to grow significantly? Doctors say that the BCG vaccine is a chance to protect a person from bacilli, but sometimes practice shows a completely different thing. Firstly, for many newborns this is a test. Either the vaccines are of poor quality, or the children are not the same as before, but such vaccinations negatively affect the nervous system of babies, leading it to a stupor. The choice is yours!