How do tuberculosis vaccines work

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The UK programme now targets babies and children who are most at risk of exposure to TB, with the aim of preventing the more serious childhood forms of TB. The vaccine is given just under the skin intradermally , usually in the left upper arm. This is the recommended site, so that small scar left after vaccination can be easily found in the future as evidence of previous vaccination.

No other vaccine should be given in the same limb as the BCG for three months afterwards, because of the risk of lymphadenitis an enlarged lymph node that becomes infected. Tuberculosis TB is caused by a type of bacterium called Mycobacterium. There are Read more. Medical content reviewed by Professor Andrew Pollard.

Please click here to contact us if you have comments about the Vaccine Knowledge website. You should consult your doctor or other healthcare provider if you need specific advice on vaccines for you or your child. Skip to main content. Search form. Key vaccine facts. Who should have the vaccine? The main risk groups for TB are: Babies and children under 5 who live in an area of the UK with a high rate of TB more than 40 cases of TB per year for every , people.

In some areas of London, for example, all newborn babies are recommended to have the BCG vaccine. Having a parent or grandparent who was born in a country where there is a high rate of TB Living for three months or more in a country where is a high rate of TB Being in close contact for a prolonged period with someone who has pulmonary TB TB affecting the lungs Babies and children under 16 in any of these risk groups will usually be offered the BCG vaccine. The findings suggest that the current TB vaccine and investigational vaccine candidates elicit immune responses that fail to control the infection not because the responses are too weak, but because they are too slow.

In people vaccinated against TB and later infected with the bacteria, activation of immune cells is delayed, allowing the bacteria to multiply. A truly effective vaccine, like the one for measles, reduces infection by 95 percent or more.

The idea behind vaccination is that giving the immune system a preview of an infectious microbe allows it to rapidly swing into action when it later encounters that same microbe. Ideally, vaccinated people can mount an immune response within a few days and head off the infection before it even makes them sick.

To find out whether speeding up the immune response would make an ineffective vaccine effective, Khader, postdoctoral researcher Kristin Griffiths, PhD, and colleagues tried a new approach. Persons with HIV infection; including newborn children of mothers infected with HIV until this infection is ruled out in the child. Newborn children of mothers treated in their third trimester with medications such as anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibodies.

Persons with primary or secondary immune deficiencies including interferon-gamma deficiency and DiGeorge syndrome Persons who take anti-cancer or steroid drugs such as cortisone or immunosuppressive drugs including anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibodies such as infliximab or are undergoing radiotherapy Patients after bone marrow stem cell transplantation or organ transplantation Persons who have had a serious illness such as kidney disease.

Patients with malignant diseases e. Pregnant women Persons with serious diseases including severe malnutrition When should BCG vaccination be delayed? A scar usually remains at the site of the injection.

Leave the sore alone and ensure it remains exposed to the air. This helps it to heal quickly. Keep the affected site clean. Phone: 08