BACILLUS CALMETTE GUERIN (BCG) VACCINE

Recommendations for use The recommended age of administration is at birth (for institutional deliveries) or at 6 weeks with other vaccines. Catch up vaccination with BCG is recommended till the age of 5 years. Routine tuberculin testing prior to catch up vaccination is not necessary. BCG may be repeated once in children less than 5 years of age in the absence of a reaction/ scar presuming that BCG has not been taken up (even though most patients with absent reactions/ scars have shown in vitro evidence of cellmediated immunity against tuberculosis). Here again, tuberculin testing prior to administration of the second dose of BCG is not necessary.