What is BCG almost everyone knows. BCG is a vaccine against tuberculosis. BCG vaccine contains weakened, dried pathogens of tuberculosis.
The BCG-M vaccine is intended for gentle immunization. Its composition is the same as that of BCG, only the active substance (bacterial mass) contains half as much.
The BCG-M vaccine is administered:
- Premature babies in the hospital;
- In the clinic, children who have contraindications for vaccination ;
- To all newborn children from areas where the tuberculosis incidence is favorable.
The first vaccination is carried out for a child in the hospital, in the period from the 3rd to the 7th day from birth. Revaccination at 7 and 14 years of age is carried out only if the Mantoux test was negative. An injection is made intradermally in the left shoulder.
Immunity to tuberculosis is developed 1.5-2 months after vaccination. Vaccination does not give a full guarantee. There is a chance of contracting tuberculosis later, but the likelihood of this is much lower. According to statistics, the incidence in people vaccinated against tuberculosis is 15 times lower than among unvaccinated people. And the disease is easier.
Vaccination reaction.
At the site of vaccination, a nodule is formed, covered with a crust. Around the second month, an abscess type formation may appear there. Such a vaccination reaction is considered normal. You do not need to do anything with it and smear it with brilliant green or iodine too. It’s better not to touch this place at all. After a while (2-4 months), everything heals and a scar 3-10 mm in size is formed at the site of vaccination.
BCG vaccine complications.
In case of violation of the vaccination technique (poor quality of the vaccine, the dose exceeded, the vaccine is administered not intradermally, but subcutaneously, etc.), vaccine complications may occur. Despite the fact that BCG complications are very rare in 0.02% of cases, parents should know how they manifest. Complications after BCG are called bezegit.
Common BCG Complications (Becezhit):
- Cold abscess. An ulcer is formed at the vaccination site, the diameter of which is more than 1 cm, and the nearby lymph nodes increase (axillary, cervical, supraclavicular, subclavian). A round seal appears at the injection site. This is not an ordinary vaccination reaction - a small nodule, but of significant size, more than one centimeter formation. The condition of the child does not suffer, the temperature does not rise, the general state of health is good. After 3-6 months, the seal softens and an abscess forms, and then an ulcer, which may not heal for several months. As a result, the cold abscess heals and a large star scar forms in its place.
- Lymphadenitis After 1-3 months after vaccination, the lymph nodes in the left under the arm are enlarged. Lymph nodes above the collarbone or below it can sometimes be affected. Inflamed lymph nodes look like red-crimson dense formations 2-5 cm in size, after a while they soften and pus follows from them. Healing occurs after 3-9 months with the formation of a dense star scar. The course of lymphadenitis can be accompanied by subfebrile temperature, anemia, enlarged liver, decreased appetite and poor weight gain. In all children with post-vaccination lymphadenitis, the body's resistance decreases and immunity drops. Subsequently, they have diathesis, rickets, chronic tonsillitis, frequent respiratory diseases, etc.
- Calcinate In some children with post-vaccination lymphadenitis, a calcium stone, calcinate, subsequently forms on the site of the affected lymph node. Calcifications require treatment only if they are larger than 1 cm.
- Keloid scars. After BCG vaccination, a coarse, overgrown, very dense scar is formed. Most often, such scars appear in teenage girls with allergic diseases or if the injection was made too high in the shoulder joint. The nuisance of keloid scars is that they can grow.
BCG complications are treated with special anti-TB drugs: they are taken orally and used as dressings on the affected area.
Contraindications to BCG vaccination:
- Premature babies weighing up to 2.5 kg.
- Acute diseases or exacerbations of chronic diseases.
- Immunodeficiency. Oncology.
- Severe complications for BCG vaccination detected in brothers or sisters.
Contraindications to BCG revaccination:
- Acute diseases or exacerbations of chronic diseases. Vaccinations are carried out 30 days after recovery.
- Immunodeficiency. Oncology.
- Complications for BCG vaccination.
- Tuberculosis infection: children with tuberculosis who have had tuberculosis or tuberculosis.
- Positive or doubtful Mantoux test.