BCG....Should we worry or not ?

[mandymoo]

I took my daughter who is 15 for her school leavers jabs and was asked if she had had her BCG as the nhs is no longer giving this. She thankfully had hers last year. The nurse told me that it will only be given to people in need and people who come into this country to live.
I know they can treat a lot more things nowadays with antibiotics and it is maybe more cost effective.

But Worldwide, TB kills around 2 million people every year. TB is no longer common in the UK but since 1988, the number of cases each year has risen to around 7,000. My youngest would have been due for his next year. As the title say`s should we worry or not.

Thank you

[Ted_Hutchinson]

NICE Clinical guidelines Tuberculosis (http://www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=CG033&c=infections)

CG33 Tuberculosis: Information for the public (http://www.nice.org.uk/download.aspx?o=CG033publicinfo)

Previous thread on this topic (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=218810)

Sweden gave up with the BCG in 1975 and seems to manage. It's really a case of justifying the use of resources and the effectiveness of the current vaccine is so low and the number needed to treat so high it really is a bit of a waste of money treating everyone. Far better just to concentrate on those for who there is a degree of risk. There is a better vaccine being developed and when that's available it will be a different situation and a new decision will have to be taken.

Spending a lot of money on a vaccine which only provides an illusion of protection may not be sensible and it may be better to spend the money trying to improve the identification of cases in areas with vulnerable populations. I think changing our SunSmart - Home (http://www.sunsmart.org.uk/) policy so it encouraged everyone to get some sun on their skins everyday would be a better way of improving our immunity levels. See SUNLIGHT ROBBERY: (http://www.healthresearchforum.org.uk/reports/sunlightrobbery.pdf) for more details on this.

Unfortunately I don't think our politians have the courage to take on the cultural prejudices which allow certain religions to put there females under such needless jeopardy with, for living in this country, such dangerously misguided and wholly inappropriate womens dress code.

[rach1973]

Thanks Ted, that Sunlight Robbery PDF is very informative...I have bookmarked it to read in depth sometime.

I will now get my children out in the sun without hats, especially my youngest who has recently been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. I was told by his Dietician that he needs lots of Calcium but what is the point if he doesn't have enough Vitamin D to absorb it.