BCG re-vaccination against TB in 11 districts

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, March 9

Eleven districts in Punjab have been identified by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for its pan-India adult Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) re-vaccination programme to evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine in reducing TB incidence. Districts which have selected from Punjab are Amritsar, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Moga, SAS Nagar, Muktsar, Patiala and Rupnagar.

Various research papers on BCG re-vaccination have concluded that re-vaccination or giving booster dose of BCG vaccine carries minimal risk but can help in enhanced pro-inflammatory markers of trained immunity along with anti-inflammatory pathways.

Training programmes for the community health officer (CHO), auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM), and accredited social health activist (ASHA) have already started for adult BCG re-vaccination trial programme.

BCG vaccine is given to a child at the time of birth and has a documented protective effect against meningitis and disseminated TB in children.

To focus on individuals aged 18 and above

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is conducting large-scale clinical trials to explore if BCG re-vaccination can be used in the fight against TB in India
• The programme is designed to target individuals aged 18 and above, focusing on various criteria such as TB history, smoking habit, diabetes, age and BMI
• Those who will receive the re-vaccination will be followed up by the department for three years. Their regular medical check-ups will be conducted. If the results achieved are positive, then decision will be taken if BCG re-vaccination of all TB patients can be administered or not