[Mass vaccination against tuberculosis--is it necessary in Norway?]

The benefit of the BCG mass-vaccination program has not been widely questioned in Norway, ever though corresponding programmes have been discontinued in Sweden and Denmark. Today, the risk of becoming infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is very low in Norway, and effective treatment is available. However, it is uncertain how Norway will be affected by the increasing incidence of tuberculosis in other countries. The efficacy of the BCG-vaccine is controversial, and widespread use of the vaccine makes it impossible to use the Pirquet-test as a tool in diagnosis. It is necessary to evaluate the BCG-program critically. Better education of physicians in diagnostic and preventive measures may be a more appropriate way of controlling tuberculosis than mass-vaccination.