BCG Vaccine?

Tofumonkey · October 2012

Did your kids get the BCG vaccine where you are? The one that scars their shoulder?

DH and I don't have it, I think they stopped giving it in Canada after our parents' generation.

But I recently heard that not everywhere in the UK gives it, but it's mandatory in London.

Strange?

NCV2 · October 2012

I read on a mummy blog that you can get out of it as an expat, not sure if it's true. I didn't even know this vaccine existed before I moved here. We just got tested in school in the US. Also as a teacher I had to be tested before getting a job.

I guess I fall through cracks here not having the vax.

I feel like the risk is so small for this one. Whenever I would take the test they would ask me if I visited Africa or had spent a good deal of time in a jail.

Whereas Chicken pox is a really risk and is not done in the UK.

BlushingMama · October 2012

James got it earlier this year. I requested it because we are going on holiday to South Africa at the end of the year. And he qualified because his parents are South African. They were suppose to offer it to him at birth, but didn't for some reason.

Edit: Did the girls have it?

Tofumonkey · October 2012

Yeah, the girls had it, and recently I had a TB test and they were shocked that I didn't have the vac as a kid

BlushingMama · October 2012

They were shocked that I never had the MMR, but I have since discovered that unless you went private in SA they only offered you the measles vaccination and to the other 2. I was a military daughter so I always had to go to the military hospital or sick bay.

welshgirl · October 2012

I dont know what this is? W is up to date with his jAbs, but hasn't hAd it.

BlushingMama · October 2012

welshgirl:
I dont know what this is? W is up to date with his jAbs, but hasn't hAd it.

Its the TB vac. It's not given as routine in the UK.

lorryfach · October 2012

Never heard of it and there are no shoulder scars. Denmark doesn't require chicken pox either, which I think is strange. My girls got it anyway, and I ever had a nurse look at me all confused and ask why. Uh, so my girls don't get chicken pox? Obvious, right? I'm SO glad we got it, too, since it was going around right before we flew to the States, and we had nonrefundable tickets!

frlcb · October 2012

Tofumonkey:
Did your kids get the BCG vaccine where you are? The one that scars their shoulder? DH and I don't have it, I think they stopped giving it in Canada after our parents' generation. But I recently heard that not everywhere in the UK gives it, but it's mandatory in London. Strange?

It wasn't mandatory in London when we lived there, it was mandatory in certain areas of London but now the whole of London.

gimmietimmies · October 2012

Tofumonkey:
Did your kids get the BCG vaccine where you are? The one that scars their shoulder? DH and I don't have it, I think they stopped giving it in Canada after our parents' generation. But I recently heard that not everywhere in the UK gives it, but it's mandatory in London. Strange?

Canada did stop. My parents got it, I didn't. My coworker got it, he spends time in Africa frequently though. It's still available, but you have to go to the travel immunization clinic to get it, and it's on your dime.

If it's manadatory in London (not sure how they'd enforce that?), do they have a lot of at risk groups? That's the only way I can see them doing it, if they're seeing cases.

BlushingMama · October 2012

gimmietimmies:

Tofumonkey:
Did your kids get the BCG vaccine where you are? The one that scars their shoulder? DH and I don't have it, I think they stopped giving it in Canada after our parents' generation. But I recently heard that not everywhere in the UK gives it, but it's mandatory in London. Strange?
Canada did stop. My parents got it, I didn't. My coworker got it, he spends time in Africa frequently though. It's still available, but you have to go to the travel immunization clinic to get it, and it's on your dime.
If it's manadatory in London (not sure how they'd enforce that?), do they have a lot of at risk groups? That's the only way I can see them doing it, if they're seeing cases.

I think its because London is so populated. Especially in the poorer housing estates where people are going to be living on top of each other its going to be more of a risk. I don't think its mandatory, but they will offer to you/your child when they are born, either at the hospital or send you a letter inviting you to come in to your GP's office. I don't live in London, but rather 2 hours outside of London and down here it is not offered, you have to ask. My son does qualify though and should have been offered it at birth because my husband and myself are both South African so he falls into a 'risk group'.

Tofumonkey · October 2012

They did it at the hospital when the twins were born. It was an awful scar, red, pussing, it looked terrible.

Just to be clear, I don't live in a TB infested council housing estate. Lol.

NCV2 · October 2012

I think I would skip it when I had kids unless we were going to a high risk place.

BlushingMama · October 2012

Tofumonkey:
They did it at the hospital when the twins were born. It was an awful scar, red, pussing, it looked terrible. Just to be clear, I don't live in a TB infested council housing estate. Lol.

i just realised I could have implied that, I never meant to. Tofu lives in a lovely house where she likes to welcome crazy people from Canada who make her life a living hell. She then goes on regular recovery holidays to the hospital, or at least that is where she tells us she is.

The Irish Gal · October 2012

We all get it here in Ireland. N got it when she was 2 days old and yes, she has a scar from it. For some reason I never got the scar even though I've had the vaccine (and boosters). Everyone gets it but different areas get it at different times, some in birth hospital, others at gp and others by public health nurse.

There has been a rise in the number of TB cases over the past couple of years in some areas of Ireland.... it's to do with the damp I think!

MouseInLux · October 2012

Wordsmith226:
My youngest had it here in China at 2 weeks old. nbsp;TB is rampant in the area, and they give the shot on the bum now instead of the arm. nbsp;So, she has a mark but it won't be seen much. nbsp;And the healing was not so bad, really.It was hard to decide to give it to her since it was a "local only" vaccine meaning no imported strains available. nbsp;But, I decided that the vaccine had to be better than TB. nbsp;I'll talk to my US doctor about getting the toddler tested and vaccinated when we are home for a longer *** of time next year.nbsp;

love they blanked out your typo on chunk..just one key stroke off and it's a Bump baddie!

dublin · October 2012

The NHS is so random sometimes. With DS1 (born Nov 2010) it wasn't offered but with DS2 (born this August) the health visitor said I could get it for him if I wanted. I asked the nurse at the GP's office about it during his first set of shots and she said they don't give it very often? So it seems optional. Anyway neither of them have gotten it and I am indifferent to them getting it- is that bad?

Also here in Wandsworth they give the MMR booster at 18 months as opposed to at 3 years, but not anywhere else in the UK. The health visitor said because the area is bascially 'nappy valley' with lots of middle class kids that were never vaccinated and also that they don't do it in the rest of the UK because they try to group vaccinations to make less visits to the GP as it is hard to get the public to make and kept appointments.

frlcb · October 2012

dublin:
The NHS is so random sometimes. With DS1 (born Nov 2010) it wasn't offered but with DS2 (born this August) the health visitor said I could get it for him if I wanted. I asked the nurse at the GP's office about it during his first set of shots and she said they don't give it very often? So it seems optional. Anyway neither of them have gotten it and I am indifferent to them getting it- is that bad?

Also here in Wandsworth they give the MMR booster at 18 months as opposed to at 3 years, but not anywhere else in the UK. The health visitor said because the area is bascially 'nappy valley' with lots of middle class kids that were never vaccinated and also that they don't do it in the rest of the UK because they try to group vaccinations to make less visits to the GP as it is hard to get the public to make and kept appointments.

We were in Wandsworth as well and we were told they wouldn't do it for ds because there wasn't a problem with TB in that area. The NHS is random.

BCG Vaccine?

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