- How to use
- Possible adverse reactions
- Caring for the injury
- Who should not use
- How long is the protection
BCG is a vaccine indicated for the prevention of tuberculosis and is usually administered shortly after birth. This vaccine does not prevent infection or the development of the disease, but it prevents it from progressing and prevents, in most children, the most serious forms of the disease, such as miliary tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis, so it is included in the basic calendar vaccination of the child. Learn more about tuberculosis.
The BCG vaccine is composed of bacteria of the strain Mycobacterium bovis (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin), with reduced virulence, which stimulate the body to produce antibodies against this disease.
The vaccine is available from the Ministry of Health, and is usually administered at the maternity ward or health clinic. In hospitals or private clinics the vaccine can cost around R $ 90.
How to use
The BCG vaccine should be administered directly to the top layer of the skin, by a doctor, nurse or trained health professional. Generally, for children under the age of 12 months the recommended dose is 0.05 mL, and over the age of 12 months is 0.1 mL.
This vaccine is always applied to the child's right arm, and the response to the vaccine takes 3 to 6 months to appear and is noticed when a small raised red spot appears on the skin, which develops into a small ulcer and, finally, a scar. The scar formation indicates that the vaccine was able to stimulate the baby's immunity.
Possible adverse reactions
Usually the tuberculosis vaccine does not lead to side effects, in addition to the occurrence of swelling, redness and tenderness at the injection site, which gradually changes to a small blister and then to an ulcer in about 2 to 4 weeks.
Although it is rare, in some cases, swollen lymph nodes, muscle pain and sore at the injection site can occur. When these side effects appear, it is recommended to go to the pediatrician to have the child evaluated.
Caring for the injury
After receiving the vaccine, the child may have an injury at the injection site. For the healing to be done correctly, one must avoid covering the lesion, avoid making compresses on the spot, keeping the spot clean, not applying any type of medication, or dressing the area.
Who should not use
The vaccine is contraindicated for premature babies or those weighing less than 2 kg, and it is necessary to wait for the baby to reach 2 kg before the vaccine is administered. In addition, people with an allergy to any component of the formula, with congenital or immunodepressive diseases, such as generalized infection or AIDS, for example, should not get the vaccine.
How long is the protection
The duration of protection is variable. It is known that it has been decreasing over the years, due to the inability to generate a sufficiently robust and long-lasting amount of memory cells. Thus, it is known that protection is superior in the first 3 years of life, but there is no evidence that protection is greater than 15 years.
