Tuberculosis and BCG in Europe

Abstract

BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccine was developed from an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis at the beginning of the twentieth century. Its widespread use as a vaccine against tuberculosis spread in Europe, and subsequently globally, over the next 50 years. It remains one of the most frequently administered vaccines in the world. It has also been one of the most controversial. Widely differing estimates of the effectiveness of BCG at protecting against different forms of tuberculosis in different population subgroups in different settings have been published [1]. Some countries, with a low incidence of tuberculosis, did not adopt the use of BCG vaccine at all and some others abandoned its use at a later stage. In addition, great variation developed in national programmes for the administration of BCG including the age(s) at which it should be given, whether or not its administration should be preceded by tuberculin sensitivity testing, and whether repeat vaccinations with BCG should be given.