Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, particularly the tubercle Bacillus, and affects various organs: lungs, kidneys, lymph nodes, skin, intestines, bones. Tuberculosis can occur in an open form, a potentially dangerous to others, and closed when the patient is practically not contagious. However, latent infection often flows into the active view.
According to the world health organization, about 2 billion people worldwide are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although today the disease can be successfully treated if detected early, it is better to have the cellular immunity to prevent disease development, and to obtain such protection by BCG vaccination.
BCG vaccination is designed to ensure an adequate immune response of an organism to causative agents of tuberculosis. However, it is important to understand that unlike other vaccines, BCG does not protect against the disease 100%. The mechanism of its action consists in the production of antibodies that prevent the occurrence of severe and deadly forms of TB, such as miliary or disseminated and tuberculous meningitis. In other words, and in the presence of a BCG vaccination, you can get infected with TB through contact with the sick public, and poor social conditions, inadequate nutrition and other prerequisites, but the probability of recovery will be higher than if you do not have immunity to mycobacteria.
Opponents of BCG vaccination cited as a justification of their position by the fact that many countries refused this vaccine, as well as the view that tuberculosis threatens only socially disadvantaged citizens and generally rare. However, in Russia the morbidity and mortality from tuberculosis is still quite high, on average 3 times higher than in European countries. A chance to meet with the infection is always and everywhere: in the clinic, in shop, in public transport and even on the Playground. Therefore, children vaccinated with the BCG 3-7 day of life, to protect the weak and protected the body of the baby from infection, a dangerous germs and reduce the risk of disease.
Often the fear of vaccination in parents is associated with possible complications after the injection. But BCG vaccination has a number of contraindications, under which delaying vaccination or not doing at all: prematurity, hemolytic disease of the newborn, acute disease, lesions of the nervous system, etc. Healthy children usually tolerate BCG well, except the individual characteristics of the child's body, but their expression is impossible to predict.
Today, vaccination is voluntary: each parent has the right to choose to do child vaccinated BCG or not. However, first it is necessary to weigh all "for" and "against", to understand the risks and make the decision most favourable to the child.
