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Recommendations for pediatric tuberculosis vaccination in Italy

Carlotta Montagnani1, Susanna Esposito2, Luisa Galli1

  • 1a Pediatric Clinic, Meyer Hospital, University of Florence , Florence , Italy.

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
|November 21, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination offers good protection against severe tuberculosis forms for at least 10 years. This vaccine is safe for immunocompetent children, with recommendations for its use in Italy for specific risk groups.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Vaccinology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the sole approved vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) prevention.
  • Global recommendations for BCG vaccination vary, necessitating country-specific guidelines.
  • Italian scientific societies convened to establish pediatric BCG vaccination recommendations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline Italian expert recommendations for pediatric BCG vaccination.
  • To assess the duration of BCG vaccine protection.
  • To evaluate BCG vaccine safety and its impact on tuberculin skin test (TST) responses.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing scientific literature and expert consensus.
  • Analysis of BCG vaccine efficacy against different TB manifestations.
  • Assessment of vaccine safety in immunocompetent individuals.

Main Results:

  • BCG vaccination provides good protection against tuberculous meningitis and disseminated TB, and fair protection against pulmonary TB.
  • Protective efficacy persists for at least 10 years; revaccination shows no added benefit.
  • The vaccine is safe in immunocompetent subjects and affects TST responses for at least 6 years.

Conclusions:

  • BCG vaccination is recommended for TST-negative, immunocompetent infants and children in Italy, particularly those with increased TB exposure risk.
  • Targeted vaccination strategies are advised for newborns, infants under 6 months, and children up to 5 years from high-risk groups.
  • The findings support continued BCG use in specific pediatric populations based on efficacy and safety data.

Keywords:
BCGchildrenpreventiontuberculosisvaccinationvaccine

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