Who should be immunised against TB?
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The immunisation programme to counter TB has changed over the past few decades as the number of people with TB has reduced in many parts of the world. Immunisation with BCG vaccine is now only...
given to those people, usually children, who are at a high risk of catching TB. i.e in America it is no longer administered in masses.
In the most countries now, immunisation against TB with the BCG vaccine is offered to:
- Babies living in areas where there is a high rate of TB.
- Babies (and children who have not previously been immunised) whose parents or grandparents have lived in a country where the incidence of TB is 40 cases per 100,000 people per year or greater.
- The following groups of people who have not previously been immunised:
- immigranting Children (under 16 years) from countries where TB is common and have not been immunised before.
- immigrating Adults under 35 from countries where there is a high rate of TB
- People at risk due to their job. For example, health workers, prison staff, etc.
- Close contacts of people with active TB who have never received the BCG vaccine.
Children who would previously have been offered immunisation with BCG vaccine through the schools' programme are now screened for risk factors for TB, tested, and immunised as appropriate.
Tuberculin testing
Before being immunised with BCG vaccine, the tuberculin test is usually done. A few days before the immunisation an injection is given into the skin of part of the TB germ. The injection site is examined a few days later. In brief:
- If there is no reaction to the tuberculin test it means that you have not been in contact with TB and have not had previously been immunised with BCG vaccine. You should then be immunised.
- If a positive reaction occurs (the skin becomes red and inflamed), this can mean:
- previous infection with TB, or
- current infection with TB, or
- previous immunisation with BCG vaccine which has been forgotten.
You should not be immunised if you have a positive tuberculin test. You may be advised to have tests to see if you have active TB.
A tuberculin skin test is not necessary before immunisation with the BCG vaccine for children up to and including five years of age provided that:
- The child has not lived in (or visited for more than a month) a country with a high TB rate where there is 40 cases per 100,000 people per year or more.
- The child has not been in contact with a person who is known to have active TB.