Journal article
Nonspecific beneficial effects of BCG vaccination in high-income countries, should we extend recommendation of BCG vaccination?
BCG, or Bacille Calmette-Guerin, is a live attenuated vaccine derived fromMycobacterium bovis, originally isolated from cattle. BCG is the only vaccine available for the prevention of human forms of tuberculosis. BCG is effective in reducing the rate of severe forms of tuberculosis and is included as part of the routine immunization schedule in developing countries. Since 1974, BCG vaccination at birth has been included in the World Health Organization (WHO) Expanded Programme on Immunization resulting in more than 3 billion cumulative vaccinations worldwide [1]. Today BCG is the most widely administered vaccine in humans being one of the vaccines with minimum recorded adverse events. However, BCG is very reactogenic and combined with its inconsistency in preventing spread of pulmonary tuberculosis, BCG is generally not recommended for use in the United States or other high-income countries considered low-burden of tuberculosis.
Authors
Languages
- English
Publication year
2015
Journal
Clin Infect Dis.
Volume
11
Type
Journal article
Categories
- Service delivery
Diseases
- TB
Organisations
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Tags
- Coverage monitoring
