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Neonatal BCG: a time for change
Thillagavathie Pillay1,2, Gergely Toldi3, Abid Hussain4
1Neonatology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK tilly.pillay@uhl-tr.nhs.uk.
Insights
The UK's Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination for babies is now recommended at 28 days after birth. This change may impact vaccination uptake due to potential barriers.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Public Health
Background:
- The UK's Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination program is typically risk-based and administered shortly after birth.
- Recent guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has altered the recommended timing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the revised timing of the BCG vaccination in the UK.
- To discuss the rationale behind this change.
- To identify potential barriers to BCG uptake associated with the new schedule.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
- Analysis of the implications of the revised vaccination schedule.
Main Results:
- The BCG vaccination is now recommended at 28 days after birth or soon thereafter.
- The rationale for this change is based on updated immunisation advice.
Conclusions:
- The revised timing of the BCG vaccination program presents potential challenges for uptake.
- Understanding and addressing these barriers is crucial for maintaining vaccination coverage.
Abstract:
The BCG vaccination programme in the UK is risk based and has usually been given to eligible babies soon after birth. On advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, NHS England and Improvement recently revised the timing of this vaccination to 28 days after birth or soon thereafter. In this article, we highlight the change in timing of vaccination, the rationale and barriers to BCG uptake that this change may pose.
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