[MassLPN]

Does anyone know if there is a resource available anywhere, that might tell me what countries routinely give the BCG vaccine? I have quite a few employees come through my door, tell me they never had BCG, but find out later, after a positive PPD, and a call home to their mother, that they have in fact had it (which I'd already presumed).

If I could get my hands on a listing somewhere, it would be quite helpful, and perhaps I could avoid giving PPD's when they don't need them.

Thanks in advance!

[Sharon]

If a patient has a positive skin test and has had a BCG, they are considered to be reacting to infection, not BCG if any one of the following risk factors exist:

1. A large induration
2. The person has been a recent contact of a person with TB
3. Family history of TB
4. The person comes from an area with a high rate of TB which is all countries where BCG is administered
5. Chest radiographs show evidence of previous TB

Core Curriculum on Tuberculosis from the CDC

I believe work in high risk areas should also be added.

The time frame I use to determine if the reaction is due to BCG is not more then 12 months after vaccination. My expectations are that all adults will remember if they have had a BCG in the past 12 months.

Most countries intermittently administer the vaccine so a list is not reliable. Since the BCG leaves a scar. Check the upper deltoid area for the scar.

Remember at the best of times BCG confers immunity 50% of the time, which is one of the primary reasons it is not used in the US.

[BayMae10]

I have a big list off all the countries we are doing a case a study with the cdc i can get them too you give me a few days....you still have to give the PPD though even though they have said they have it if no documentation at least in my state you do the state is not happy with just taking their word, cause they still have to folow up to make sure they dont have TB....but i'll still get you the list if you would like it

[mary mary]

Hi there
If you log on to the OCC-HEALTH@jiscmail.ac.uk website, there is a fairly lively debate going on at present about BCG vaccines here in the UK.

[Josie K]

BCG is given routinely at birth in some parts of the UK.
Adolescents have heaf/BCG in school - except when there is 3rd world shortage then all availabe stocks are sent there.
The World Health Organisation will have the info you require.

[Toby's mum]

My mother received the BCG vaccine when she was a 16/17 year old nursing student in England. Apparently this vaccine has a lot of controversy. If you google: Bacille Calmette Guerin you come up with quite a few sources for where this vaccine is given. There is one site, Ask Noah: Tuberculosis that seems pretty informative. Hope this helps.

[caroladybelle]

Great Britain and France used to give it...I had mine there.

[moonladye]

I had BCG at 13yrs old, now we only give the vaccine to those at risk, TB is on the increase in New Zealand mainly in the Maori population.

Its the people that go undetected that is a concern to me in the medical field. I remember seeing a documentary on TB and multi resistant tb is a problem in Russia and they were putting people in prison to isolate them. Scary stuff!

[karenG]

Originally Posted by MassLPN

Does anyone know if there is a resource available anywhere, that might tell me what countries routinely give the BCG vaccine? I have quite a few employees come through my door, tell me they never had BCG, but find out later, after a positive PPD, and a call home to their mother, that they have in fact had it (which I'd already presumed).

If I could get my hands on a listing somewhere, it would be quite helpful, and perhaps I could avoid giving PPD's when they don't need them.

Thanks in advance!

easy peasy this one!! if you speak to your nice friendly Aventis rep- I think you might have such a thing! they have a little book which tells you the shedule for every country for all baby imms!!

BCG is given routinely in; long list this!
afghanistan, albania,algeria,angora, anguilla,argintina,armenia,azerbaijan,bahrain,bang ladesh,barbados,belarus,
belize,benin,bhutan,boliva,bosnia&herzegovina, botswana,brazil,british virgin islands,brunei,bulgaria,burkina faso, burundi,cambodia,cameroon,cape verde,caymen islands,central africa rep, chad, chile, china,colombia,comoros, congo, cook islands, costa rica, croatia, cuba, czech republic, korea, congo, dominica, domincan rep, ecuador, egypt, el salvador, equatorial guinea, eritrea, estonia, finland, france, french guinea, french polynesia, gabon, gorgia, germany, greece, guatemala, guinea, guinea-bissau, guyana, haiti, honduras, hong kong, hungary, India, indonesia, Iran, ireland, ivory coast, Jamaica, kazakhastan, kenya, kiribati, kuwait, kyrgyzstan, lao peoples democratic rep. latvia, lesotho, liberia, libya, lithuania, luxembourg, macao,madagascar, malawi, malaysia, maldives, mali, malta, marshall islands,
mauritania, mexico, micronesia (chuck state only) monaco, mongolia, montserrat, morocco, mozambique, myanmar, namibia, nauru,nepal, new zealand,nicaragua, niue, norway, oman, pakistan,panama,papua new guinea,paraguay, peru, philippines, poland, portugal, quatar, republic of korea, rep. of moldova, romania, russian federation, rwanda, st kitts and nevis, st. lucia, st vincent and the grenadines, samoa, saudi arabia. singapore, slovakia, slovinia, solomon islands, somalia, south africa, sri lanka, sudan, swaziland, syrian arab republic, tajikastan, thialand. togo. tokelau. tonga, tunisia, turkmenistan, turks and caicos islands,tuvalu, uganda, ukraine, united arab emirates, united kingdom, united rep. of tanzania, uruguay, uzbekistan, vanuatu, venezuela, viet nam, wallis and futuna islands, west bank and gaza strip (some regions only) yemen, zambia, zimbabwe!!!

whew!! arent you impressed I could tell you that!! hope that helps!!!

Karen

[suzanne4]

Thailand
The hospitals here routinely give a chest x-ray every year to their staff.
Even the US Embassy for immigration purposes uses the CXR, at least that is what I have been told over here by my students.