BCG - Yes, or no ?

[Earl Aelfheah]

My 9 month old daughter is due to recieve her BCG vacination. I remember having my BCG at school and it was very painful. I understand that they only administer this vaccination within two or three London Boroughs and that if we lived a couple of miles to the west, she wouldn't be getting offered it. Is it really necessary? Any views / insights appreciated.

[clux]

I may be wrong but I think its offered in a lot more boroughs that that. My children have been vaccinated in Southwark and Hackney, my sister's children in Westminster, and friends who live in Lewisham, Brent and Camden have also had the BCG.

[Bumpkin]

I don't think it's that painful when they are small. We went to Townley road and they had a toy Baby B hadn't seen before and he was so busy looking at it he didn't even notice the jab. It does swell up and leak pus for ages but again, didn't seem to bother him at all.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I've just googled it and it seems that the vaccination is offered in a number of Boroughs (not what I'd heard talking to people). Can't actually find out exactly where it is and isn't offered though. I'm still unsure how necessary it is. Any opinions (especially medics out there), apprecitated.

[elderflower]

They "recommend" the bcg in boroughs where there are high cases of tb. Prevention is better than a cure for something and BCG is one of them. A friend of mine contracted it before she went to uni (she lived in hampstead) and the whole uni had to be vaccinated and checked. She was not popular for it and on the other hand she hand to take lots of medication for over a year.

[hanstands]

The [vaccination] nurse at my docs in ED advised us not to have it, saying it was not really a v effective vaccine anyway. I took her advice but can see reasons to choose either way -- maybe go with your gut instinct?? My jab at thirteen turned pussy and formed a large 'crater' in my arm for months after so also didn;t want to risk my wee one reacting like that to it.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I was advised not to either as TB is very hard to catch,and as my son is not exposed to lots of people on a daily basis ( i.e nursery/people abroad/etc)it was not deemed priority that he has his BCG at this moment in time.

I will probably reassess when my son is older but for now he has not had the BCG.

[melbourne groover]

My advice is, if you think you will give it to your child later then give it now. I moved to Southwark from Camden, where they do not offer it and so my daughter had it at around 2 1/2. She was really upset by it and much more conscious of it. Also v grim experience for me!

My son had it at 9 months and didn't even notice it being done, no tears, nothing... Also the scar has healed a lot quicker once the pus went.

[R&A]

I too was told by a doctor that the bcg vaccination was not very effective.

I personally chose not to go with this one after weighing up the effectiveness versus threat of acquiring tb

Generally however, i am a firm believer in vaccinations

[prdarling]

Both of mine were vaccinated with it. One at 6 months with no adverse effects, just a pin prick in his arm. The other at 9 months - the site was red and swollen and infected with pus and it took months to heal...he now has a purple crater the size of a 5p piece on his arm (he'll be 3 in Sept).

It can be really nasty but there's no way of knowing.

I agree with the sooner rather than later school of thought though if you are going to do it at some point, as they do seem to get over it quicker

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Regarding the older age, we all used to have our BCG at the age of 13 are none the worst for it, so I personally don't think age is an issue when it comes to the BCG.

[new mother]

Stoopid question probably but does an innoculated baby/child need to have a booster as we all did at 13?

[Earl Aelfheah]

My friends who live in Tooting haven't been offered the BCG for their child, which seems wierd as they go to all the same baby groups.

[linzkg]

My son had it - pin prick to the upper arm and it does hang about for a few months and can go red and pussy but its passing now - and he's really not been fussed by it.

He didn't even feel it so I wouldn't worry about that - I still remember getting mine done though - ouch!

My hubby and I travel a fair amount and love Africa so it was a no brainer for us - we're obviously hoping our little one will want to travel when he's older.

They get offered the BCG in "higher risk areas" - hence our area being offered - but we were very glad to be offered it because of the countries we like to visit.

Complete personal choice - I've got mixed opinions within my friends - I guess just think about the pros and the cons of it? and if your child will benefit by having it?

PS, new mother - I don't think they need a top up at 13? May be wrong though ..

[esme]

I have been asking myself whether to have my baby son (3.5 months) vaccinated... we have been offered it as there is a high incidence in this area, but as per the person above as we like travelling to far flung destinations (well once he is older we will!) I am glad we have the option and will probably go for it as prevention is better than cure and babies seem to have far less of a reaction so I think it's a good idea to do it now rather than later. Can see why you are questioning it tho and I would google it to see any side effects etc. as doctors and nurses can sometimes give you their own opinion (as opposed to one based on medical fact - well they do in our surgery anyway) and you will get a whole heap of useful info that will enable you to make a well informed decision about your child :)

[BB100]

One of my children had it at 2 weeks old. It was great - no problems, no crying and you can barely see the scar now he is 12. You have to really search for it. The other child had it at 18 months, small cry and a slightly more visible scar but never as obvious as when you have it at 13 and you don't have it again.

The liquid used for TB injections (I was told) is very thick so with babies they use a punch which contains something like 50 tiny needles. When children get older and have the jab they only use one needle and that's why you get heavy scarring and it hurts so much.

We decided to have our children receive the TB jab because one of our relatives caught TB thirteen years ago. She had never been abroad so could have only got it from her primary school in Lewisham or from someone in the local community. She had to take medication for a whole year and it was very worrying to the family. I think TB is even higher now than it was then and Lewisham/Southwark/Lambeth has the highest TB cases in the country.