BCG Vaccine

[skinnycow]

Do they still do routine BCG vaccines at about 13? My daughters nearly 14 and in year 9 and I was expecting her to have had it by now. My friends daughter is in year 10 and she says she can't remember if she had it but my neice who is 18 says she definatley has had it. I also thought girls got another Rubella at about this age or has it all changed now?

[Jules001]

No they don't give them in schools anymore see here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4655355.stm

[ChocolatChip]

I think I remember something about it changing just when I was leaving school. Something like you had to get it from the doctors yourself, rather than the school giving it out, I would think they'd have given you a letter. But the doctors will have a record of any jabs your daughter has had. For example I've had to have two today! Because I wasn't around when they were done at school, 2/3years ago.
So best to pop down the doctors and find out.

[ChocolatChip]

Ahhh jules got there first. But thinking about this topic some more... I was reading in the paper (coventry area) That a girl of 15 actually has contracted TB. So much for it being pointless....

[gen2]

ChocolatChipThe article didn't say it was pointless - it just said it wasn't cost effective. It said:

Therefore, for every 5,000 children vaccinated, one case of TB would be prevented over the following 15 years.

Without the BCG vaccination, we would therefore expect one child in every 5,000 to develop TB. The reported case (in the Coventry area) was presumably one of those.

When the rate of incidence of a disease is relatively low, it it often more cost effective to use resources to provide a cure rather than to spend money on prevention. It is all a question of economics.

[Pippa68]

Only the one rubella jab is needed.

I had one when I was 10/11..I am now 39, however it was decided that it was better for kids to have the jab when they were babies ~ hence the MMR (measles,mumps,rubella). Children now have the MMR between a year and 18 months, followed by the boosters before they go to school.

This gives the lifelong immunity, apparently.

[skinnycow]

Thank you everyone, my daughter is relieved as she hates injections!