In many countries of the world, people are actively fighting tuberculosis. This is a serious disease that is difficult to get rid of. Therefore, scientists have long developed a vaccine against tuberculosis. We will get to know her later. When and who should do it? What is included in the vaccine? Can there be any side effects? And if so, how to get rid of them? Answers to all this and more will be found below. In fact, everything is not as difficult as it seems. The main thing is to remember the main points of vaccination against tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis is…
First, let's find out what tuberculosis is. This is the name of a serious infectious disease transmitted by airborne droplets. A person who has contracted this disease is faced with a decrease in immunity.
Tuberculosis affects the lungs, bones, joints, intestines. If untreated, the disease leads to death. Diagnosing it in young children is problematic. In adults, the diagnosis of the disease is much easier.
Anyone can get sick. That is why people are vaccinated against tuberculosis. What should be remembered about her under any circumstances?
When they do
For example, when people get the appropriate vaccination. There is a national vaccination calendar. And the study vaccine is included in the list of mandatory.
Vaccination against tuberculosis is given to newborns for the first time. Babies put it together with the hepatitis B vaccine. Usually, the procedure is carried out on the 3-5th day of the child's life. But before that, the child is carefully examined.
BCG (this is what the vaccine under study is called) is carried out in several stages. The main vaccination is carried out in the first days of the baby's life, and then several revaccinations are arranged. This helps to protect the body for a long time.
Re-vaccinations are given at 7 and 14 years. After the second revaccination, the body receives long-term immunity to the corresponding disease. But the exact duration of the TB vaccine is unknown. It depends on the patient's body as a whole. Vaccination helps someone fight tuberculosis for 10-15 years, someone - 20-25.
Sometimes people get revaccinated at 30. But in real life, few ordinary citizens go to medical institutions for the corresponding procedure. After all, as we have already said, the diagnosis of tuberculosis in adults is carried out without problems. And so the person will be able to quickly begin treatment.
In addition, there are a number of situations in which unscheduled revaccination can be carried out. But more on that later.
Contraindications
Children are not vaccinated against TB under certain circumstances. There are a number of contraindications for vaccination.
To thoseaccepted to attribute:
- severe allergic reactions;
- baby had intrauterine infection;
- prematurity weighing less than 2 kilograms;
- presence of severe skin diseases;
- development of acute infections;
- hemolytic disease of the newborn;
- transfer of purulent-septic diseases;
- complications after previous vaccination.
As a rule, the TB vaccine is given to perfectly he althy children. In all the previously listed cases, vaccination is postponed for several months. However, parents can choose to opt out. In Russia, the legal representatives of children have such a right.
Composition
The study drug contains weakened tuberculosis cells. Namely, bovine tuberculosis bacillus. The culture obtained in the course of a special method of growing bacilli is concentrated and mixed with purified water.
Ultimately, BCG has both live TB bacilli and dead ones. They are enough for the body to fight the disease. But for infection with the studied infection, the corresponding tuberculous mass is not enough.
Methodology
When is the TB vaccine given? We have already studied the answer to this question. How exactly is the procedure carried out?
Ideally, a few days before vaccination, people undergo a Mantoux reaction or "Diaskintest". If the result is normal, you can get vaccinated.
The vaccine is injected into the shoulder intradermally. First, the upper and middle third of the shouldertreated with alcohol, then a needle from a syringe containing a solution with BCG is inserted into the corresponding area.
After removing the needle, a cotton pad may be applied to the injection site. It is worth paying attention to the fact that after vaccination against tuberculosis, the area into which the vaccine was injected cannot be treated with anything. It is also forbidden to apply tourniquets.
Important: if BCG was not done in the maternity hospital, and now the parents decided to vaccinate the baby before 2 months of age, the Mantoux test is not done. Otherwise, you should be tested for tuberculosis before vaccination.
Who needs vaccination
Vaccination against tuberculosis may be required unscheduled. This is not the most common arrangement. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to know about it.
At the moment, children and adults are vaccinated against tuberculosis if:
- person planning to travel or relocate to an area with a difficult TB situation;
- people live in the same area as a TB patient;
- if citizens often travel to areas with high incidence rates;
- he alth workers who come into contact with TB patients.
Accordingly, all other citizens may not be vaccinated. But you still have to do Mantoux or X-rays every year. After all, only in this way can a person and doctors understand that the patient is sick.
Side effects
Will a person react to a TB vaccine? Unfortunately, BCG is a rather aggressive vaccine. And it does not give any guarantees for the absence of complications. Side effectsactions after the procedure are found in both children and adults.
Here are the most common side effects:
- Temperature increase.
- Tearfulness, loss of energy.
- General malaise in the body. Usually mild, not requiring separate treatment or medical intervention.
- The appearance of an infiltrate. This is the darkening of the vaccine injection area. It occurs mainly in children. Does not require special treatment. After healing, a small scar forms on the shoulder.
- Increased lymph nodes. Most often, nodes in the armpits and collarbone increase. Sometimes the process requires separate treatment.
- Cold abscess. It occurs very often in children and adults. It appears, as a rule, due to a disturbed procedure for administering the vaccine. Education usually goes away on its own 2-3 months after the appearance. After that, a scar appears on the shoulder.
- Superficial ulcer. Requires treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs. The ulcer is smeared with special healing ointments.
- Keloid scar. It appears at the site of a healed infiltrate. If the scar does not grow, it does not require treatment. Otherwise, you will have to undergo a course of treatment with hormonal drugs.
Perhaps that's all. There are no other real effects of BCG. Therefore, vaccination against tuberculosis is almost always given to newborns and adults.
Types of vaccines
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the studied vaccine has several types. One is BCG. Vaccinecreated, as we have already said, from bovine tuberculosis cells, which cannot be infected.
There is a substance called BCG-M. This is a weakened vaccine. It contains less drug. Used for gentle vaccination against the disease under study.
Who is being injected with BCG-M
When are children vaccinated against TB? Usually on the 3rd day of life, then before school and at the age of 14. The BCG vaccine is usually given. But in some cases, a person can be injected with BCG-M. When exactly?
Here are the indications for BCG-M:
- vaccination of premature babies (weighing less than 2 kg);
- when nursing a newborn;
- Unvaccinated for medical reasons if the causes are eliminated.
In addition, BCG-M parents can put the baby in a paid clinic of their own free will. But to do so without medical evidence should not be. Such a technique can cause a lot of trouble and problems with the immune system in the future.
Efficiency
Is tuberculosis possible after vaccination? Usually, such a phenomenon does not occur as a post-vaccination complication. That is, a person cannot become infected with tuberculosis from BCG.
The effectiveness of the studied vaccination has long been proven by time. However, the TB vaccine does not provide 100% protection against the disease. The patient develops temporary immunity to infection, but the risk of infection remains. Small, but it has a place.
Important: people with good immunity have nothing to worry about. After vaccination, tuberculosis, if caught, will proceed without seriouscomplications with timely treatment.
Doctors say it's almost impossible to get TB after getting vaccinated. That is why it is recommended not to avoid BCG without medical reasons.
Why vaccination is recommended
Some are wondering why newborns should be vaccinated. The topic of childhood vaccination is still very acute today. And so you have to evaluate all the pros and cons of the procedure.
There are a number of logical reasons why you should not refuse vaccination in the hospital. For example:
- tuberculosis has become epidemic in some regions;
- tuberculosis affects about a third of the total population;
- 60 out of 1000 people in Russia are infected;
- the disease under study affects everyone without racial or age restrictions;
- tuberculosis is a deadly disease;
- treatment for illness is not always effective;
- the course of getting rid of the disease is at least 3 months, and then the disease can return;
- the disease under study is quickly and easily transmitted by airborne droplets.
Accordingly, outside the maternity hospital, the baby has a high chance of getting sick. Especially if someone in the family had tuberculosis or does not conduct a thorough examination of the body annually.
How to reduce the risk of complications
Now it's clear what the TB vaccine is. A photo of the local post-vaccination reaction is presented to our attention below. How to reduce the risk of complications?
Let's consider the process on the example of newborns. After all, it is in babies that adverse reactions are most common.
It is recommended to follow these tips:
- Carry out a thorough diagnosis of the baby's body before vaccination. It is worth taking a blood test.
- Limit visits to mom and baby for a few days. It is advisable to keep quarantine until discharge from the hospital. This is necessary so as not to bring an extra infection.
- Thoroughly ventilate the rooms where the vaccinated are.
- Do not bathe your baby immediately after vaccination. Water procedures resume after a while. They should be short.
- After discharge, it is recommended to walk more with the child in the fresh air. However, mom and baby will have to avoid crowded places.
Perhaps that's all. These tips help avoid complications after vaccination, but they are not a panacea. And you should not fully rely on them. No one can 100% guarantee the safety of vaccination. And anyone. This is an intervention in the body. And even a doctor cannot predict exactly how a child's or adult's immune system will behave during the appropriate procedures.
Results
We got acquainted with the reaction to the tuberculosis vaccine, the composition of the corresponding vaccine and other important information about BCG. All of the above data are relevant to this day.
People are encouraged to get vaccinated against TB on schedule. It is better to postpone vaccination if the patient experiencesmalaise or sickness. Allergy sufferers are recommended to be vaccinated with BCG-M, not to refuse the procedure completely.
However, everyone is always at risk when administering a vaccine. Vaccinations are interventions in the human immune system. They sometimes lead to serious consequences that must be recorded by doctors.
There is no need to be afraid of complications. With the correct procedure, the patient is unlikely to encounter them. The exception is fever. It occurs with most vaccinations.
Vaccination against tuberculosis for adults and children is given only in licensed medical institutions. Such a procedure is not carried out independently. Schoolchildren can be given BCG at first-aid posts.
Don't be afraid of the TB vaccine. The main thing is to carefully prepare for the procedure. Then the risk of post-vaccination complications will be minimal, and the effectiveness of vaccination will be maximum.
