Full Form of BCG:
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin
BCG Full Form is Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. BCG vaccine is basically meant against tuberculosis as it provides immunity against this disease. It is also used to treat bladder tumors or bladder cancer. BCG is instilled into the bladder in the form of immunotherapy. BCG therapy tends to reduce the risk of reoccurrence, the risk of progression in patients suffering from high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Babies suffering from HIV/AIDS are not permitted to get the vaccine.
Precautions for BCG Vaccine:
If the person is allergic to BGC vaccine or any other type of drugs, he or she mustn’t go for this vaccine. If you are taking any prescription or non-prescription, let your doctor know about that especially if it is any antibiotic, cancer chemotherapy, steroids, etc or if you had a recent vaccination of smallpox or if you have had a positive TB test . Tell your doctor if you have certain immune disorders like cancer, fever, any sort of infection.
BCG Administration methods:
A person affected by positive tuberculin reaction is not advised to get BCG. A reactive tuberculin test is highly contraindication to BCG. It anyone does so, the risk of severe local inflammation and scarring will become high. BCG may also cause side effects like swollen lymph nodes, small red areas at the site of injection, fever, vomiting, and a bad stomach, etc. Tuberculosis was once one of the most dreaded illness and have been ascribed with many social and economic fears.
In India, having tuberculosis was the worst thing to happen as for quite a long time, there were no cures. However, with the introduction of BCG, tuberculosis no longer is a dreaded illness. BCG is a vaccine to immunize against tuberculosis and is recommended that babies be given shots of the vaccines as soon as possible after birth. The vaccine is given by an injection under the skin and the period of protection generally lasts for ten to twenty years. However, the vaccine does come with some side effects.
Although none of the side effects are terminal, they are often subject to further studies and arguments against the absolute effectiveness of the vaccine. Some of the side effects are redness and swelling, miniature ulcers. The most contentious aspect of this vaccine is its efficacy that is not static and has produced varied results. While some places indicate it has high effectiveness, the other places where tests have been conducted show contrary results. BCG is, nevertheless, is an essential commodity and is on the WHO’s List of Essential Medicines.