BCG immunisation (for TB)

[mags]

Just received a letter saying my baby is due for her BCG immunisation. (She's 6 weeks old) I asked the HV about this and it protects against tuberculosis. They reccomend this because we live near London which is apparently rife with TB. What worried me was when the HV said they used to give this injection when a child was around 14 yrs old, and now the govt. has changed it's policy, saying children should receive it as babies! A bit worried about this. Won't it be too strong for her? Also, my 3 yr old isn't being offered the injection, as she was born in a different part of the country...

 

[mayday]

I made enquiries about TB jabs, as I work in Africa a lot and there is a lot of TB there. When she is old enough I intend to take her with me to work sometimes, and want her to be protected against all that she may be at risk from. I telephoned Reading Chest Clinic and was given this info; for TB to be passed on you have to be in close regular contact with someone who has had TB, eg parents, grandparents etc. My baby would not be at risk during a short visit (3 days max) to an African country, so they did not recommend the jab. They currently only recommend it if a close family member was born or lived for a long time in a TB zone. I mentioned that my husband was born in West Africa, and his parents lived there for about 6 years, and they said they would give her the jab if I wanted it then. I weighed up the pros and cons, and decided against it. OH's parents have lots of other grandchildren who did not catch TB from them!

Don't know if this helps or not.

Bit terrifying if London is considered a TB zone these days

 

[mags]

Thanks for your reply! It's given me a lot to think about. I have a couple weeks to make up my mind about it. The HV said that there has been a huge rise in TB cases among immigrant communities in London. Because of where we live (our postal address says Essex, but it's technically London Borough of Redbridge) we're being offered it. It's odd, coming from the USA where children's injections are mandatory, to be told it's my choice if I want my child immunised. Part of me thinks this BCG is unnecessary, but the worrier in me knows I'd never forgive myself if she ever did come down with TB, thinking 'If only I'd have let her have that injection...'

 

[Gem & Leland]

lelands booked in for his bcg in july . im in london too ,,

i asked about the whole i had it at high school ad it was horrid thing and she said babies dont have what causes the reactions in adults so there deal with it better !?

 

[Melanie]

Thea has had hers, she had it a four days old as Budapest is a TB zone too. She has a tiny mark on her arm now where the injection was given, much less than most of the people i had it with a 14! You can already see that as she has grown the mark has stretched and is much less noticable than when she was a newborn.

I worried about it too but honestly i read up on the effects of TB and the slight reaction from the injection is much less worrying than what TB could leave behind.