Vaccine Against Tuberculosis

This came a real surprise to me. I never thought that there is an existing vaccine against tuberculosis until I read this article from AOL about the cause of death of Moulin Rouge. I immediate googled information about tuberculosis and found out that according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (USA) that Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) can be used to vaccinate people who are at high risk of contacting Tuberculosis.

Interestingly, this is the same disease which killed the movie character Moulin Rogue. I took a screen shot of the webpage though for you to see it but I guess its pretty small that those who fairly have good eyesight won't be able to figure out what's written in it =(.

picture from AOL.com (click picture to enlarge)

Moreover, according to CDC, there are quite a few number of people who should be vaccinated against TB as long as they meet the certain criteria laid out below. In any case, your healthcare provider should be your number 1 resource to getting advice about TB Vaccine.

Recommendations

Children. BCG vaccination should only be considered for children who have a negative tuberculin skin test and who are continually exposed, and cannot be separated from, adults who

* Are untreated or ineffectively treated for TB disease (if the child cannot be given long-term treatment for infection); or
* Have TB caused by strains resistant to isoniazid and rifampin.

Health Care Workers. BCG vaccination of health care workers should be considered on an individual basis in settings in which

* A high percentage of TB patients are infected with M. tuberculosis strains resistant to both isoniazid and rifampin;
* There is ongoing transmission of such drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains to health care workers and subsequent infection is likely; or
* Comprehensive TB infection-control precautions have been implemented but have not been successful.

Health Care Workers considered for BCG vaccination should be counseled regarding the risks and benefits associated with both BCG vaccination and treatment of latent TB infection (LTBI).

I remember writing something in my other blog about my mom being treated for tuberculosis because of suffering from pneumonia 2 months ago. She was given anti-TB drugs at that time because her body was too weak to fight off further lung infections. Fortunately, with God's grace, she recovered from those diseases and is now continuing her medication.

I just hope that this post gives us some useful information about TB and how we can possibly avoid it. We shouldn't take our health for granted. It hurts a lot when it surrenders...