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[Tuberculin allergy in BCG-vaccinated children (author's transl)]
Insights
Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination in newborns provides over 90% protection against tuberculosis in early childhood. This study confirms BCG
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Context:
- Tuberculin allergy testing was performed on 431 BCG-vaccinated newborns, 400 unvaccinated children, and 30 children diagnosed with tuberculosis.
- The study evaluated the frequency, duration, and intensity of tuberculin allergy in vaccinated versus unvaccinated children over time.
Purpose:
- To assess the efficacy of BCG vaccination in preventing tuberculosis in neonates.
- To compare the tuberculin reaction profiles between vaccinated, unvaccinated, and tuberculous children.
- To determine the protective rate of BCG vaccination during the first five years of life.
Summary:
- At 5 years old, 59% of BCG vaccinees showed positive tuberculin reactions (100 TE), with 36% still positive by age 7.
- Only 4.7% of unvaccinated children aged 7-9 years were tuberculin-positive.
- BCG vaccination demonstrated over 90% protection against tuberculosis in the first five years of life, preventing severe forms like miliary TB and TB meningitis in vaccinees.
Impact:
- The findings support the recommendation for general BCG vaccination in newborns to reduce tuberculosis incidence and severity.
- BCG vaccination significantly lowers the risk of critical tuberculosis complications in early childhood.
- This study provides evidence for the long-term protective benefits of neonatal BCG immunization.
Abstract:
Frequency, duration and intensity of tuberculin allergy was tested in 431 children, vaccinated as neonates, and compared with the data of 400 non-vaccinated children, and 30 children with tuberculosis. When tested with 100 TE, 59% of the vaccinees showed a positive reaction at the age of 5 years, still 36% reacted positively in the 7th year. 4,7% of the non-vaccinated children were tuberculin-positive in 7--9 years old. Near half of the children reacting positively to tuberculin without suffering from tuberculosis reacted to 100 TE, nearly all tuberculous children already reacted positively to a lower dose. The overall rate of protection against tuberculosis was more than 90% in the first 5 years of life. Miliar-Tb. or Tb-meningitis was not seen in vaccinees, but 4 times in non protected children. General BCG-vaccination in newborns is recommended.