BCG

[mad?]

My three were all born at Queen Charlotte's, West London.
They were all given BCG at birth because of the proximity to areas with a high risk, eg Southall. Perhaps mad?'s girls were born in a similar area ?

Yes!!!!

[hermanmunster]

Golly!!!!!


They weren't giving it in Leicester - despite multi drug resistant TB in the city!

[Chilled]

My DS was given it at birth. We lived on the Brent/Harrow border at the time and weren't a high risk group.

[KS10]

Both my kids had it at birth because of where I am from and the likelihood that we would go there one day.

[yoyo123]

I was the only one in my class who didn't have to have the BCG after the test patch. I have bored people stiff with this fact for over 40 years!

[KS10]

Mine's on my b _ m. Is it true that that was where it was given because it was considered to be unsightly?

[doodles]

My BCG was very neat and tidy can't see it - smallpox (?) bit of a sight instead.

DH has the old fashioned flat BCG circle

[scary mum]

1 of mine was given it at birth because the area we live in has a high risk population (apparently). They were out of stock when DC2 was born! DC1 has just been given it at school for the same reason I suppose - had a mildly sore arm for a couple of days and no mark (are you thinking of the smallpox vaccination which used to leave a scar?). I felt that we are always being told that TB is on the increase so it wouldn't do any harm to be protected.

[mystery]

I've got BCG scar, but I don't remember it being a terrible experience. I was surprised that it is not given to all young adults now, considering its resurgence amongst certain elements of the community. Whenever I get a cough, I always think, well it's unlikely to be TB as I had that BCG vaccine. I'd take any vaccine that was on offer free of charge for a child, as you just end up paying for the vaccine later on in life if you have some off the beaten track travel plans.

People still don't seem to have clicked that all the stuff about the MMR was hocus pocus created by a member of the medical profession who should have known better, and it seems to have put people off all forms of vaccine.

[hermanmunster]

I am quite glad that the BCG is not being widely given - it really was not that effective at preventing disease - particularly the strains of the disease from the indian sub continent.
I understand that half who got TB in a large outbreak in Leicester a few years back had been immunised at birth.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/ ... th.science" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The cases of TB now are very highly defined by risk groups and hence kids who are not in the risk groups are better not having the potential false reassurance from the BCG and hence investigated if they get symptoms (as I think they do in the US).

Interesting stuff from the west midlands:

http://medweb4.bham.ac.uk/websites/key_ ... _04.02.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the "white" group always some puzzlement for the med students until you explain that most of europe is "white" including eastern europe and ireland.... Similarly, as these are numbers of cases, the RATE (per 1000 population) is actually highest in black africans.