BCG is the very first vaccination in a person's life. It is done to a newborn right in the hospital on the third or fifth day after birth. Today, according to the current legislation, the mother is asked for written permission for vaccination. They bring a paper for signature, while more than half of the women have no idea what they are signing or what they are rejecting. The well-known pediatrician and authoritative favorite of millions of modern mothers Yevgeny Komarovsky often talks about the BCG vaccination in his articles and TV programs.
What it is
BCG is a vaccine against tuberculosis, a disease that kills about 3 million people worldwide every year. Vaccination is considered mandatory in 19 countries. The vaccine contains a weakened tubercle bacillus of cows. The drug exists in two versions of BCG - for ordinary children and BCG-M - for babies born prematurely.
The first introduction of the BCG vaccine is carried out in the maternity hospital (if the mother agrees, if the child has no contraindications), revaccination - at 7 years old, 12 years old, 16 years old.
The first vaccination is done without a preliminary Mantoux test; during revaccination, a preliminary "button" is required. The fact is that it makes sense to vaccinate only if the infection has not yet occurred. If the child's body has already encountered Koch's bacillus, then the vaccine is not needed. The Mantoux test just shows the feasibility of revaccination.
The vaccine is administered subcutaneously in the shoulder. The injection site sometimes festers, although this is an individual reaction, but with a few exceptions, all have a characteristic scar, confirming the fact of vaccination.
If there is no scar or it is too small, experts say that this child has not developed immunity to tuberculosis or is weak.
Komarovsky about BCG
When mothers ask whether it is necessary to do BCG, Evgeny Komarovsky answers unequivocally - it is necessary. Indeed, it will be much better for the child's body if it encounters a small number of weakened pathogens of a serious illness than if the child receives an infectious dose of strong and aggressive microbes. And the reality in Russia is that getting sick is easy - people with infectious tuberculosis move freely, travel by transport, go to shops, sneeze and cough in the street. There is no shortage of aggressive sticks.
A video where Dr. Komarovsky tells everything about the BCG vaccination can be viewed below.
The very first vaccination is not done at the whim of officials of the Ministry of Health, but for a completely objective reason - the causative agent of tuberculosis will most likely be the first pathogenic microbe that a newborn will encounter almost immediately after discharge from the hospital.
Komarovsky emphasizes that the Mantoux test, which many mothers mistakenly also call a vaccination, is a very informative way to find out if a child is infected. The test should be done annually. If suddenly it turns out to be positive, this does not mean at all that the child will have a comfortable state bed in a tuberculosis dispensary. If an active live bacillus has entered the child's body, then usually the strength of the immune defense and the efforts of antibodies are enough to prevent tuberculosis from developing. In the absence of proper attention from doctors and parents, without special treatment, only 10-15% of children develop a serious illness.
In general, the BCG vaccine quite effectively protects against fatal forms of tuberculosis, but, emphasizes Yevgeny Komarovsky, even a timely vaccination and subsequent timely revaccination do not give one hundred percent guarantee that the child will not get sick with tuberculosis, although it significantly reduces this risk.
Why do children need a Mantoux test for children, Dr. Komarovsky will tell in the next video release.
Tips
To minimize the risks of infection with a tubercle bacillus, the doctor advises to strengthen the child's immunity from the very birth. It is imperative to do the BCG vaccine, but do not shift all responsibility only to doctors. Parents themselves should try. First of all, says Komarovsky, they must understand that the fight against vaccinations is a fight against future generations of the inhabitants of the Earth.
At the household level, mothers need to ventilate the premises more often, walk with their child more and longer, and provide the baby with good nutrition.
Preparation for BCG vaccination has no peculiarities. Evgeny Olegovich recalls that a child should go to the clinic on an empty stomach, with the intestines emptied a few hours before this visit. Two days before vaccination, mothers should not introduce new products to the baby's diet, everything should be familiar to him. The less the load on the digestive system of the crumbs, the easier it will tolerate the vaccination, the doctor reminds.
Before the introduction of the vaccine, the pediatrician must examine the child for contraindications. With viral infections, immunodeficiency, an allergic reaction to anything, elevated body temperature, any disease in the acute stage, it is impossible to vaccinate a child. In this situation, vaccination is postponed until the small patient recovers completely.
Some vaccinations give complications, Dr. Komarovsky will tell about this in the next video.
After the BCG vaccination, Komarovsky advises giving the child more to drink, providing fresh air, and when the temperature rises, give an antipyretic, preferably Paracetamol. In all other incomprehensible situations, it is better to call a doctor. When asked by parents whether it is possible to bathe a child after BCG, Komarovsky answers in the affirmative. You can, but be careful, it is better not to rub the injection site with a washcloth and not steam it. And if the injection mark festers, you don't need to treat it with antiseptics, because this is a natural process.
