{"id":2798,"date":"2023-07-10T04:16:09","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T04:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adorav.com\/blog\/?p=2798"},"modified":"2023-07-10T04:16:17","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T04:16:17","slug":"bcg-vaccine-newborns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adorav.com\/blog\/bcg-vaccine-newborns\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the BCG Vaccine: When to Give It to Your Newborn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The BCG (bacilli Calmette-Guerin) vaccine, named after Albert Calmette, and Camille Guerin, is meant to prevent Tuberculosis (TB)<\/strong> (CDC, 2016). Besides TB, the BCG vaccine also protects against other mycobacterial infections such as leprosy<\/a> and Buruli ulcer (Oxafor et al., 2022). Of note, the authors have also specified its use in treating bladder cancer (superficial carcinoma of the bladder). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vaccine contains attenuated live TB-causing bacteria. It is meant to boost one\u2019s immune system by fighting against this bacteria without causing the disease. The vaccine is primarily intended to protect newborns from tuberculosis in children. But it also is given to adolescents and adults 16-35 years old if they have family members with high TB risk or coworkers who are infected with tuberculosis(NHS, 2019).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BCG Vaccine And What It Protects Against<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The BCG vaccine is mostly intended for infants and young children to protect against severe forms of TB such as TB meningitis and military disease during childhood. Though it is generally effective against TB, it is primarily designed for this purpose(CDC, 2016; McKoy, 2022). BCG vaccine is limited in availability, it is only offered to newborns born in countries with a high prevalence of TB(CDC, 2016). Countries like the United States, for instance, do not make it mandatory to administer the vaccine to newborns. <\/p>\n\n\n