Abstract
This paper summarizes Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination and revaccination policies in Japan, its cost-effectiveness, side effects, proposed selective vaccination strategy, and present tuberculosis situation in Japanese perspectives based on Medline database and other published reports. Universal BCG vaccination in infants and revaccination among children were not found economically justifiable. Overall tuberculosis incidence in Japan is higher than that of other developed countries. Trend of decline in tuberculosis incidence is similar to that of the countries where universal BCG vaccination has never been implemented. In the recent years, the number of tuberculosis group infection has been escalating. Since BCG revaccination program has already been discontinued, a consensus on universal BCG vaccination is also essential based on social, political, and economical factors. Side by side, more pragmatic strategies such as well-defined tuberculin test, selective vaccination policy based on tuberculosis incidence in each administrative zone, and early vaccination of high risk groups, should be formulated.
Highlights
Japan, its cost-effectiveness, side effects, proposed selective vaccination strategy, and present tuberculosis situation in Japanese perspectives based on Medline database and other published reports
This paper summarizes Bacillus Calmette-Guesrin (BCG) vaccination and revaccination policies in
There has been a theory that most of the country variations in Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) efficacy are statistically explainable by the latitude i.e., little or no protection in countries at lower latitude.13Atypical mycobacterium which accrue natural protection against TB, are highly prevalent at lower latitudes
Summary
Its cost-effectiveness, side effects, proposed selective vaccination strategy, and present tuberculosis situation in Japanese perspectives based on Medline database and other published reports. Universal BCG vaccination in infants and revaccination among children were not found economically justifiable. Trend of decline in tuberculosis incidence is similar to that of the countries where universal BCG vaccination has never been implemented. Since BCG revaccination program has already been discontinued, a consensus on universal BCG vaccination is essential based on social, political, and economical factors. More pragmatic strategies such as well-defined tuberculin test, selective vaccination policy based on tuberculosis incidence in each administrative zone, and early vaccination of high risk groups, should be formulated. Japan has been conducting universal BCG vaccination in infants and revaccination in school children since 1951 and 1954, respectively.1Annual tuberculosis (TB) incidence decreased from 698 per
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
