In many countries of the world, people are actively fighting tuberculosis. This is a serious disease that is difficult to get rid of. Therefore, scientists have long developed a vaccine against tuberculosis. We will get to know her further. When and to whom to do it? What is included in the vaccine? Can certain side effects occur? And if so, how to get rid of them? The answers to all this and more will be found below. In fact, everything is not as difficult as it seems. The main thing is to remember the main points of vaccination against tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is ...
First, find out what tuberculosis is. So called a serious infectious disease transmitted by airborne droplets. A person infected with this ailment is faced with a decrease in immunity.
Tuberculosis affects the lungs, bones, joints, intestines. If untreated, the disease leads to death. Diagnosing it in young children is problematic. In adults, the diagnosis of the disease is much simpler.
Everyone can get sick. That is why people are vaccinated against tuberculosis. What needs to be remembered about it under any circumstances?
When do
For example, when people are vaccinated accordingly. There is a national vaccination calendar. And the studied vaccine is included in the list of compulsory ones.
The vaccine against tuberculosis is first done to the newborn. Babies are given it together with a hepatitis B vaccine. Usually, the procedure is carried out on the 3-5th day of a child’s life. But before that, the child is carefully examined.
BCG (this is what the vaccine being studied is called) is carried out in several stages. The main vaccination is carried out in the first days of the baby's life, and then several revaccinations are arranged. This helps protect the body for a long time.
Repeated vaccinations are given at 7 and at 14 years old. After the second revaccination, the body receives a long immunity to the corresponding disease. But the exact duration of the tuberculosis vaccine is unknown. It depends on the patient’s body as a whole. Inoculation helps someone fight tuberculosis 10-15 years, someone - 20-25.
Sometimes people get revaccinated at 30 years old. But in real life, few ordinary citizens go to medical facilities for the appropriate procedure. After all, as we have already said, the diagnosis of tuberculosis in adults is carried out without problems. And so a person can quickly begin treatment.
In addition, there are a number of situations in which unplanned revaccination can be performed. But more on that later.
Contraindications
A tuberculosis vaccine is not given to children under certain circumstances. There are a number of contraindications for vaccination.
These include:
- severe allergic reactions;
- the child suffered an intrauterine infection;
- prematurity with a body weight of less than 2 kilograms;
- the presence of severe skin diseases;
- the development of acute infections;
- hemolytic disease of the newborn;
- transfer of purulent-septic diseases;
- complications after a previous vaccination.
As a rule, vaccination against tuberculosis is given to perfectly healthy children. In all the previously listed cases, vaccination is delayed for several months. Nevertheless, parents themselves can refuse it. In Russia, legal representatives of children have such a right.
Composition
The composition of the studied drug includes weakened tuberculosis cells. Namely, cow tuberculosis bacillus. The culture obtained in the course of a special technique for growing bacilli is concentrated and mixed with purified water.
Ultimately, BCG has both living tubercle bacilli and dead ones. They are enough so that the body can fight the disease. But for infection of the studied infection, the corresponding tuberculosis mass is not enough.
Methodology
When are they vaccinated against tuberculosis? We have already studied the answer to this question. And how exactly is the procedure carried out?
Ideally, a few days before vaccination, people receive a Mantoux or Diaskintest reaction. If the result is normal, you can be vaccinated.
The vaccine is administered intradermally into the shoulder. First, the upper and middle third of the shoulder is treated with alcohol, then a needle from a syringe is inserted into the corresponding area, in which there is a solution with BCG.
After removing the needle, a cotton pad may be applied to the injection site. It is worth paying attention to the fact that after vaccination against tuberculosis, the area into which the vaccine was administered cannot be treated with anything. Harnesses are also prohibited.
Important: if BCG was not done in the maternity hospital, and now the parents decided to vaccinate the baby until 2 months of age, the Mantoux test is not done. Otherwise, before vaccination, it is necessary to check for tuberculosis.
Who needs vaccination?
A vaccination against tuberculosis may be required unscheduled. This is not the most common scenario. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to know about him.
At the moment, vaccination against tuberculosis for children and adults is given if:
- a person plans to go or move to an area with a difficult tuberculosis situation;
- people live in the same area with tuberculosis;
- if citizens often travel to areas with high incidence rates;
- medical workers who are in contact with patients with tuberculosis.
Accordingly, all other citizens may not be vaccinated. But annually do Mantoux or X-rays. Indeed, this is the only way people and doctors will be able to understand that the patient is sick.
Side effects
Will a person have a reaction to a vaccination against tuberculosis? Unfortunately, BCG is a rather aggressive vaccine. And she does not give any guarantees for the absence of complications. Side effects after the procedure are found in both children and adults.
Here are the most common adverse reactions:
- Temperature rise.
- Tearfulness, breakdown.
- General malaise in the body. Usually mild, not requiring separate treatment or medical intervention.
- The appearance of infiltrate. This is a darkening of the vaccine administration area. It occurs mainly in babies. No special treatment is required. After healing, a small scar forms on the shoulder.
- Enlarged lymph nodes. Most often, nodes in the armpit and clavicle area increase. Sometimes the process requires a separate treatment.
- Cold abscess. It occurs in children and adults very often. It manifests itself, as a rule, due to the violated vaccine administration procedure. Education usually passes on its own 2-3 months after the appearance. After that, a scar appears on the shoulder.
- Superficial ulcer. Requires treatment with anti-TB drugs. An ulcer is lubricated with special healing ointments.
- Keloid scar. He appears on the site of a healed infiltrate. If the scar does not grow, it does not require treatment. Otherwise, you will have to conduct a course of treatment with hormonal drugs.
Perhaps this is all. No further real effects of BCG are observed. Therefore, vaccination against tuberculosis for newborns and adults is almost always given.
Types of vaccines
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the studied vaccine has several types. One is BCG. The vaccine was created, as we have already said, from bovine tuberculosis cells that cannot be infected.
There is a substance called BCG-M. This is an attenuated vaccine. It contains less drug. Used for gentle vaccination against the studied disease.
Who is injected with BCG-M
When are children vaccinated against tuberculosis? Usually on the 3rd day of life, then before school and at 14 years old. BCG vaccine is usually given. But in some cases, BCG-M can be administered to a person. When exactly?
Here are the indications for BCG-M:
- vaccination of premature babies (weighing less than 2 kg);
- when nursing a newborn;
- unvaccinated for medical reasons if the reasons are eliminated.
In addition, BCG-M parents can deliver the baby in a paid clinic of their own free will. But you should not do this without medical indications. Such a technique can cause a lot of trouble and problems with the immune system in the future.
Efficiency
Is tuberculosis possible after vaccination? Usually, such a phenomenon does not occur as a post-vaccination complication. That is, a person will not be able to contract tuberculosis from BCG.
The effectiveness of the studied vaccination has long been proven by time. Nevertheless, vaccination against tuberculosis does not protect against the disease by 100%. The patient develops temporary immunity to infection, but the risk of infection remains. Small, but it does have a place.
Important: people with good immunity have nothing to worry about. After vaccination, tuberculosis, if picked up, will proceed without serious complications with timely treatment.
Doctors say it’s almost impossible to get TB after vaccination. That is why it is recommended not to avoid BCG without medical reasons.
Why vaccination is recommended
Some people wonder why it is worth vaccinating newborns. The topic of childhood vaccination is still very acute. And so you have to evaluate all the pros and cons of the procedure.
There are a number of logical reasons why you should not refuse vaccination in the hospital. For instance:
- tuberculosis has become epidemic in some regions;
- tuberculosis affects about a third of the total population;
- 60 out of 1,000 people in Russia are infected;
- the studied disease affects everyone without racial and age restrictions;
- tuberculosis is a fatal disease;
- treatment for an ailment is not always effective;
- the course of getting rid of the disease is at least 3 months, and then the disease can return;
- the studied disease is quickly and easily transmitted by airborne droplets.
Accordingly, outside the maternity hospital, the baby has a high chance of getting sick. Especially if someone in the family was ill with tuberculosis or does not conduct a thorough examination of the body annually.
How to reduce the risk of complications
Now it’s clear what a vaccination against tuberculosis is. A photo of the local post-vaccination reaction is presented to our attention below. And how to reduce the risks of complications?
Consider the process with an example with newborns. After all, it is in children that the most common adverse reactions are.
It is recommended that you follow these tips:
- Conduct a thorough diagnosis of the baby's body before vaccination. It’s worth taking a blood test.
- Within a few days, limit visits to mom and baby. It is advisable to keep quarantine until discharge from the hospital. This is necessary so as not to introduce an excess infection.
- Carefully ventilate the rooms where vaccinated people are.
- Do not bathe the baby immediately after vaccination. Water treatments resume after some time. They should be short-lived.
- After discharge, it is recommended to walk more with the child in the fresh air. Nevertheless, mother and baby will have to avoid crowded places.
Perhaps this is all. These tips help you avoid complications after vaccination, but they are not a panacea. And rely on them fully should not. No one can guarantee 100% vaccination safety. And any. This is an intervention in the body. And even a doctor cannot predict exactly how a children's or adult immune system will behave when carrying out appropriate procedures.
Summary
We got acquainted with the reaction to the vaccine against tuberculosis, with the composition of the corresponding vaccine and with other important information about BCG. All of the above data are relevant to this day.
People are advised to get vaccinated against tuberculosis on schedule. It is better to postpone the vaccination if the patient is unwell or ill. Allergy sufferers are advised to be vaccinated with BCG-M, not to abandon the procedure completely.
However, everyone is always at risk when a vaccine is given. Vaccinations are an intervention in the human immune system. They sometimes lead to serious consequences, which should be recorded by doctors.
No need to fear complications. With the right procedure, the patient is unlikely to encounter them. The exception is fever. It occurs with most vaccinations.
Tuberculosis vaccination for adults and children is given only in licensed medical institutions. This procedure is not carried out independently. Students can have BCG at first-aid posts.
Do not be afraid of vaccination against tuberculosis. The main thing is to carefully prepare for the procedure. Then the risk of post-vaccination complications will be minimal, and the effectiveness of vaccination - maximum.