BCG vaccine, yes or no?

[titti]

Hi,
I am looking for some advice on BCG vaccine. My husband and I have just moved to HK from USA with our 2 years old son. We are debating if it is better to vaccinate our little one or not. We may or may not move back to the States. Has someone done some research on this matter?
Thank you
Titti

 

[carang]

TB is widely suffered in HK and in china. there is NO WAY that i would live in this part of asia and not vaccinate my kids.

 

[evgreen]

TB is definitely very prevalent in China...especially worrying is the prevalence of a drug-resistant strain which is effectively difficult to treat. An ounce of prevention can go a long way in this case.

Here is a useful link: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/drug_resistant_tb_20100318/en/index.html

 

[MommyTo3]

My children are fully vaxed but we didn't get BCG (so they're not 100% vaxed by HK standards but they are by US/European standards). They were born in the States and we came here when my oldest was just over 4 and the twins were 20 months. Even here, they told me it wouldn't be much use for my oldest (the vax is modest protective anyway), however they did recommend it for the twins, but it was my decision. I spoke to my (famous) pediatrician in the States and he referred me to a good friend who lived in HK for a long time (HK native) and she said she wouldn't unless I would live in a super dense part of HK where TB would be more prevalent, but even then ...

 

[carang]

sorry, but ALL of hk is super dense. a part of hk where TB would be more prevalent? what does that mean? that someone on the peak is immune?

 

[miran]

Yes, I woudl get it if I were you in your place titti since your son is so young. Also, the vaccine has been around for ages so the known side effects are quite low. Some information here:

http://www.who.int/biologicals/areas/vaccines/bcg/en/

 

[elle]

I would speak with your US and HK pediatricians and get BOTH their views on the pros and cons, as it is not a standard vaccination in the US. If your child does have the TB vaccine and you do move back to the US, your child will have a positive result on any TB skin test he/she takes, which are required for a large number of jobs in the US, including all jobs relating to food and healthcare. As the skin test will be positive because of antibodies from the vaccine, some states will require a chest x-ray before clearing him/her to work. Its not a huge deal, but is an additional factor to consider. I know US parents here who have and have not chosen to have their children TB vaccinated.

 

[howardcoombs]

I spoke to my (famous) pediatrician in the States and he referred me to a good friend who lived in HK for a long time (HK native) and she said she wouldn't unless I would live in a super dense part of HK where TB would be more prevalent, but even then ...

This has to be one of the stupidest things I've heard since the MMR frauds.
TB does not know boundaries, it travels freely between countries and neighborhoods.
Unless you are willing to keep your child in a bubble, your child has a fair chance of exposure to TB when living in Asia, *all* of Asia.

Dont let your child become part of a statistic:
http://www.chp.gov.hk/en/data/4/10/26/43/458.html

I would speak with your US and HK pediatricians and get BOTH their views on the pros and cons, as it is not a standard vaccination in the US.

I'm from Zimbabwe, its not a standard vaccination in Zimbabwe therefore I should check with my Zimbabwean doctor.
She is from Kiribati, its not a standard vaccination in Kiribati therefore she should check with her Kiribatian doctor.
Do you see how ridiculous that sounds?
TB is prevalent in this part of the world, it makes no difference how prevalent it is on the other side of the world as we all happen to live *here*.

If your child does have the TB vaccine and you do move back to the US, your child will have a positive result on any TB skin test he/she takes...some states will require a chest x-ray before clearing him/her to work. Its not a huge deal, but is an additional factor to consider.

Choice 1 : possible death from TB, here, where I live today
Choice 2 : possible chest xray due to false positive test somewhere else where I might live in the future
I know what I would choose for myself and my kids.

I know US parents here who have and have not chosen to have their children TB vaccinated.

They must be taking advice from friends of famous doctors who believe TB doesnt know how to travel between neighborhoods.
*boggle* *sheesh*

 

[elle]

HC, acutally, our pediatrican (local doctor here in HK) did tell us that the probability of TB transmission from one person to another depends on several factors, including the amount of infectious material expelled by a carrier (who must have active TB to be contagous), the proximity of the carrier to another person, the effectiveness of ventilation in the area, the duration of exposure, the health of the potentially exposed person and the virulence of the TB strain. He also told us that living in a less densly populated area of HK DOES decrease the liklihood of coming into close contact with an active carrier of the disease and thus decreases liklihood of infection. This is why I suggest that the mother should speak with her own doctors, to weigh the risks and benefits of getting/ not getting the vaccine as there really are factors that can be considered.

 

[jvn]

I think when people are talking about densely populated areas they are not talking about geographical areas but rather about the very poor who are crammed into small flats and cage homes, TB and similar diseases have always been more prevalent where there is poverty for obvious reasons.

That being said, TB does exist in Asia and it's not a risk I'd take with my child when the disadvantages are so minimal. I probably wouldn't rely on a non HK based doctor for advice as there is absolutely no reason why they should be well informed on the risks of diseases in other areas of the world unless they are a recognised specialist.