How quickly does the BCG vaccination heal?

Revaccination with BCG reduces the risk of contracting tuberculosis. Because after the first vaccine the virus does not always disappear. It seems to enter a state of stasis (L-form) and can manifest itself at any time when the child is no longer breastfed. In Russia, BCG vaccination is given from birth. But every 7 years you have to do a revaccination. This is how long the body’s protection lasts after the first vaccination against Koch’s bacillus.

BCG is festering, what to do?

What parents should do if the BCG vaccine fails should only be decided by a doctor. Independent manipulations can disrupt the formation of immunity to tuberculosis and cause the development of complications.

Why you shouldn't squeeze pus out of a wound

When an abscess appears after BCG, you cannot squeeze it out, pierce it, treat the injection site with antiseptics, or cover it with a band-aid. At the site of drug administration, lymphocytes gather to fight the pathogen. If you violate the integrity of the skin at this moment or start treating it with any antiseptics (brilliant, iodine, alcohol), full immunity will not be formed.

What to do if the abscess bursts and the pus comes out

First of all, in such a situation, you should contact your family doctor or pediatrician. If he confirms that this is a normal reaction of the child to the vaccine, only observation is required for the wound. Before a crust forms, it should be covered with a sterile, dry gauze cloth to prevent secondary infection.

In order not to provoke negative reactions to vaccination and the development of complications, you need to follow simple rules:

• First of all, you cannot get vaccinated if there are contraindications to vaccination;
• The injection is administered after 30-40 minutes. after feeding, half an hour after vaccination, you can give the baby breastfeeding;
• on the first day after vaccination, you should not wet the vaccine injection site;
• For several weeks, do not rub the skin with a hard washcloth or scratch it;
• for several weeks after vaccination, it is necessary to avoid contact with strangers, since the immune system is weakened at this moment;
• if a child is from a family where there are patients with tuberculosis, the vaccination is not done or is done after contact with the sick person has been excluded.

BCG vaccination: how it is carried out, stages of formation and healing, how long they last, photo

BCG injection is performed subcutaneously in the left forearm. Vaccination can be carried out with 2 types of drugs - BCG and BCG-M. The difference between the latter is the halved amount of bovine mycobacteria, which allows vaccination of weakened and premature children.

What does the injection site look like immediately after receiving the vaccine?

If the conditions of administration are met - it was carried out intradermally, and not subcutaneously, then a small papule appears on the shoulder with a needle injection site in the middle. Outwardly, it is very similar to the Mantoux reaction. Its size is from 5 to 10 mm, white in color relative to the rest of the skin.

This reaction goes away 15-25 minutes after the vaccine is administered, and slight redness may occur in its place. The formation of a papule indicates correct administration.

Reference. If blood appears after BCG, the injection was made deep and got under the skin.

How does healing proceed during the first days after BCG vaccination?

A slight swelling and redness will form at the injection site in the first 2-3 days. This symptom usually lasts up to 4 days and goes away without a trace on its own. Remember that the reaction should only spread within the post-vaccination papule.

How is the vaccine tolerated and how long does it take to heal?

The main manifestations of BCG appear after 1-1.5 months from the procedure. A wider range of periods is possible, which is also considered normal - the response to the drug can last up to six months.

Photo 1. Redness at the site of BCG vaccine injection.

How the appearance of the vaccine changes:

1. A red or bluish spot forms at the injection site. When palpated under the skin, a lump may be detected. The spot diameter should be up to 10 mm.
2. There are 2 ways to develop a reaction after redness - a papule with liquid or pus is formed. In the first case, there is a transparent liquid inside the bubble, and the bubble itself is red. In the second case, it looks like an abscess with a head in the center, rising above the surface of the skin. Most often without change in skin color or with a slight rim of redness.
3. A scab forms at the site of the blister or pustule.
4. The abscess can spontaneously open, causing the discharge of pus.
5. The wound closes with a crust and healing begins. A red pimple forms. After the crust falls off, a hole appears, which is periodically covered with scab until complete healing.
6. Formation of a delicate scar. Normally it ranges from 2 to 10 mm.

The entire healing process takes an average of 14 weeks, but the period can be extended to 8 months.

At the time of scar formation, it is important to follow the rules of care for the resulting abscess. You cannot squeeze out the pus and tear off the crust yourself.

Do not rub the injection site or steam it.

Important! It is strictly forbidden to apply antiseptic ointments and powders, or lubricate the skin with iodine or brilliant green. This approach interferes with the formation of antibodies and may cause a lack of immunity to tuberculosis

When pus appears, it is recommended to cover the wound with a clean bandage, changing the bandage as it soaks. Covering with adhesive tape is not recommended.

Contraindications to the vaccine

The development of various kinds of complications may be the result of contraindications in the child.

• low baby weight;
• intrauterine infection with pathogenic microorganisms;
• diagnosis of HIV infection in the mother;
• immunodeficiencies of various etiologies;
• diseases of the central nervous system;
• the presence of inflammatory processes in the body;
• active stage of the disease after diagnosis using x-ray photos.

These contraindications are absolute. If they are present, the BCG vaccine is completely prohibited. Vaccination will not provide complete protection against tuberculosis, but it can help develop immune defenses against bacterial agents.

The duration of the drug is on average 7 years. After this period has expired, revaccination must be carried out. Before this, a mandatory Mantoux test is performed.

Before administering the BCG vaccine, you must undergo a full examination by specialized doctors. This will help reduce the likelihood of complications and also protect the child’s health.

Normal reaction

The reaction to BCG vaccination is most pronounced and with the most pronounced symptoms after the first vaccination. The duration of the formation of immunity is up to six months; depending on the characteristics of the child’s body, the duration of healing can reach up to a year.

BCG in children is done in the left shoulder, the drug is injected only into the skin.

With a normal reaction of the body, immediately after the administration of BCG, a papule appears on the skin, which resolves after a few hours. After BCG vaccination, a few days later you can expect slight redness at the injection site as a response.

Normal BCG reaction in the photo:

These manifestations are normal, so mothers need not worry. It is completely natural if a child’s body temperature rises slightly. If the baby does not tolerate the temperature well, then you can use antipyretic drugs.

A normal reaction may include the appearance of inflammation with the formation of a small abscess.

Gradually, the abscess will break through and fill again with purulent contents; all this is normal. It is strictly forbidden to squeeze out pus and treat the wound with antiseptic agents. This can disrupt the process of forming an immune response.

When observing the listed symptoms, it can be judged that the healing process is proceeding normally, the immune system copes with weakened microorganisms and forms the ability to resist the active Koch bacillus.

How does a button heal?

Some parents begin to panic when they see what processes are happening at the injection site. After all, such complications could simply not have occurred at birth.

7 years after vaccination against tuberculosis, the first symptoms begin to appear 30-45 days after vaccination. The papule heals within 4 – 4.5 months. But after administering the drug, the injection site begins to turn red. Sometimes a bruise appears that turns black, blue, or purple.

This is a normal reaction of the body to the drug. An abscess appears at the site of redness. Under no circumstances should it be crushed or smeared with antiseptics. Over time, the liquid hardens and becomes covered with a thick crust. Then the abscess heals and an almost invisible scar remains on the skin.

Sometimes the abscess bursts and the collected fluid flows out. This is also a normal condition. Liquid may recollect. To get rid of pus, you need to take clean gauze and make a bandage.

After the suppuration stops, a small convex pimple will appear on the skin, which will heal over time and turn into an invisible scar.

Is it possible to squeeze pus out of a vaccine?

It is strictly forbidden to perform the following manipulations with the abscess:

• open, cut and pierce;
• picking, combing and squeezing;
• cover with a plaster and bandage;
• rub, press.

It is extremely important that the pus drains on its own. If the size of the abscess exceeds the permissible norms, and the skin around it becomes inflamed, you need to contact a medical facility

The doctor will open the purulent formation and prescribe proper treatment.

You cannot try to help the baby on your own and resort to pumping out pus. Such actions can lead to its accumulation in other places and the addition of a secondary infection.

Why vaccinate a newborn with BCG?

Young parents do not always know, when faced with a procedure such as BCG vaccination, why serum is injected into newborns. The vaccine is intended to protect children from severe forms of tuberculosis and its complications.

This measure does not provide a complete guarantee that the child will not become infected with tuberculosis, however, the latent stage of the disease will not progress - thus, vaccination prevents the exacerbation of the disease and its complications.

It is carried out repeatedly - in the first week after birth, at 7 and 14 years old. The first two procedures are considered especially important. The injected composition is a lyophilisate created on the basis of weakened strains of the tuberculosis bacillus, which is dissolved in saline solution immediately before injection.

Such preventive measures help save the child from inflammation of the meninges and bone destruction as a result of the disease, as well as severe complications leading to death.

How does the revaccination process work?

To receive a second vaccination against tuberculosis, the patient must have a negative Mantoux test. Only then can a healthcare worker administer the vaccine.

Vaccination of the population must be done by a medical worker or a doctor with medical education (for example, a nurse or a school doctor).

The vaccination should be done with a new sterile disposable tuberculin syringe and rubber gloves. The needles of such syringes are short and have a thin bevel. But in order to mix the solution, you need to use a long thin needle and another disposable syringe. To do this, the medical worker must unpack the new package, put on gloves, and open the package with the syringe.

The prepared vaccine should be transparent. Before injecting the drug under the skin, you need to make sure that the liquid has not changed color and that no other foreign substances have entered there. If this happens, the drug must be changed. You cannot vaccinate with a drug that has expired. Expired syringes, insulin analogues and needleless injectors are not acceptable.

Before breaking the seal of the package, the medical professional must make sure that the ampoule is not damaged and has a natural color. If the vaccine is sealed under vacuum, the upper part of the ampoule is wiped with alcohol, then the neck is sawed off and broken off.

The sawed part is wrapped in gauze. If there is a ring or a break point on the neck, do not file the ampoule, but press it with your thumb and simply break off the top. All other actions are similar.

To obtain a dose of BCG vaccine ((0.005 ml. in 0.1 ml.), for this, 2 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride solution are injected into one ampoule, which is designed for 20 doses. If the ampoule contains 10 ml., then the amount sodium chloride is reduced by half.

Do not expose the drug to direct sunlight. It is usually covered with a paper cylinder. Once it is dissolved in sodium chloride, its shelf life is no more than an hour.

Before the procedure, the skin is stretched a little, then the drug is partially injected to check whether the needle is positioned correctly. If everything goes well, the procedure is completed.

Popular Causes of allergies to the Mantoux test

A button appears at the injection site (size from 5 to 10 mm). At the very top of the seal it should be white. This is a normal reaction and after 15 - 20 minutes. she disappears.

The injection is administered by a medical professional to the outer part of the left shoulder. It is administered intradermally between the second and third parts of the limb. The drug can be administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly (although there is a risk of a cold abscess). In very rare cases, if the child cannot be injected in the shoulder, it is done in the thigh.

Ability to mix vaccines

It is unacceptable to mix one type of vaccine with other drugs in the same syringe. Moreover, two vaccinations cannot be given at the same time on the same day.

After each injection, the used materials (syringes, gloves, cotton swabs, etc.) are soaked in a special solution (5% chloramine or 3% hydrogen peroxide). Then all this is disposed of.

Revaccinated patients are recorded in a special register. The patient's name, date of the procedure, type of vaccine and manufacturer are entered there. They also add the batch number and expiration date of the solution.

Instruments used for BCG vaccinations are prohibited from being used for other purposes. The drug is stored securely in the refrigerator under a sealed lock.

Norm and deviations

What to do if the graft site begins to fester and is this a problem? In fact, such a reaction is normal; the appearance of a small wound indicates that the body is undergoing a period of formation of immunity to the introduced mycobacterium. The norm is the appearance of a small abscess up to one centimeter in size without severe complications such as inflammation of tissues and lymph nodes, elevated temperature.

Also considered normal

If the size of the ulcer is more than one centimeter, then this is a sign of increased sensitivity of the body to the vaccine or the presence of immunodeficiency in the child. Regardless of the cause, you should consult a doctor for further monitoring.

Also considered a deviation from the norm

Normally, the formation of immunity occurs in three stages:

• at the site of vaccination, redness of the tissues and their thickening are observed, this takes about 1-2 months;
• a small bubble with a whitish head appears, which becomes covered with a crust - it is at this time that the body’s local fight against mycobacteria occurs, and pus is the decay products of dead bacteria and lymphocytes;
• Scarring occurs, which indicates the development of immunity; in some cases, such a scar may be absent altogether, but this indicates unformed immunity or too deep administration of the vaccine.

What to do if BCG does not heal

Wound healing takes a long time. Each organism gives its own immune response: weak or pronounced. Therefore, parents do not need to run to the doctor in panic every time their child comes out of a wound or has a fever.

For some children, the process lasts up to a year. But, if after a year the wound has not healed, it is necessary to show the baby to the pediatrician. You should urgently consult a specialist if, six months after the injection, the damaged skin area does not scar, but remains inflamed, with a large abscess ripening in it.

Some children can scratch the wound and tear off the scab. And then the healing process begins again. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to tie a sterile bandage around the shoulder in the area of ​​the wound.

Modern parents often refuse to vaccinate their baby. But it should be understood that failure to prevent tuberculosis is a risk to children’s health. It’s better for a child to suffer an unpleasant injection once than to have to spend a long time being treated for a serious infectious disease.

From birth, a child is exposed to many pathogenic microorganisms, as a result of which his body is not always ready to resist them to the required extent.

In order to create immunity that can fight diseases, experts recommend using a variety of vaccinations and vaccinations. One of the most important and necessary for any child is the BCG injection.

Possible complications

Before vaccinating, doctors are required to advise parents about the dangers of BCG vaccination if contraindications are not followed. Complications can be so serious that they leave their mark on the little person’s entire life. However, prudent and competent parents should understand that this only happens if contraindications are not observed. The most common life-threatening side effects for children include:

• lymphadenitis - inflammation of the lymph nodes means that mycobacteria have penetrated from the skin into the lymph nodes, which is unacceptable: if the diameter of the inflammation is more than 1 cm, surgical treatment will be required;
• too extensive, large-scale, and not local, as expected, the area of ​​suppuration - this is usually associated with immunodeficiency;
• osteomyelitis can begin when using a low-quality vaccine;
• a cold abscess develops after 1–1.5 months. after vaccination, if the drug was administered subcutaneously instead of intradermally, it will require surgical intervention;
• an extensive ulcer with a diameter of more than 10 mm means that the child is highly sensitive to the components of the drug - therapy is limited to local treatment, but information about such a complication must be entered into the personal medical record;
• a keloid scar in the form of red, swollen skin at the injection site: it will be a signal to doctors that BCG cannot be administered to this child again;
• generalized BCG infection is a very rare but serious complication in children with immune disorders;
• Osteitis (so-called bone tuberculosis) develops 0.5–2 years after vaccination; it is also a rare but very dangerous reflection of serious disorders in the immune system of children.

Those parents who doubt whether or not to vaccinate their children with BCG usually become even more frightened after such an impressive list of complications and refuse vaccination. Here, a lot depends on the doctors, who must give parents all the necessary explanations. There are no contraindications - no dangerous consequences. But there will be confidence that the child’s body is protected from such a terrible disease as tuberculosis, if not 100%, then at least only a mild form of the disease is guaranteed. You need to weigh the pros and cons before making such a responsible decision, on which the health of your baby will depend.

New articles

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To my great regret, I studied all the articles and facts about the BCG vaccination and tuberculosis itself after I agreed to have my own daughter infected with tuberculosis through the BCG vaccination. The vaccination did not cause any visible consequences for us, but at the family council it was decided not to risk our daughter’s health in this way anymore. Below are articles and facts that convinced me of the danger of vaccination against Tuberculosis, which is not comparable to its possible benefits.

Expert opinions on vaccination against Tuberculosis:

Fragment of the article “The influence of the BCG vaccine” by V.P. Sukhanovsky doctor - phthisiatrician with 30 years of practical experience

Fragment of the article “On the consequences of vaccine prevention” (Oncoimmunologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor V.V. Gorodilova)

Fragments of the article “Modern problems of vaccine prevention of tuberculosis” by the authors of Ch. freelance phthisiopediatrician of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus Zh.I. Krivosheeva, Ph.D. honey. Sciences, Associate Professor P.S.Krivonos, Ph.D. honey. Sciences N.S. Morozkina:

Fragment of the article “Attention! Graft!" Author: Chervonskaya G.P. — virologist, independent expert on vaccinology problems

Fragment of the article “The terrible truth about vaccinations” Author Chervonskaya G.P. - virologist, independent expert on vaccinology problems.

Fragment of the article “Doctors argue about vaccinations” (from part 3 of the article) article interview with Alexander Katok, Doctor of Medicine, graduate of the 1st Faculty of Medicine of the 1st Moscow Medical Institute named after. THEM. Sechenov (1989), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2000).

Facts about tuberculosis:

Transfer methods:

Tuberculosis is transmitted by airborne droplets through regular contact with a patient with tuberculosis.
Prolonged contact is a prerequisite for infection. There is also an opinion that tuberculosis is a disease of the poor. This is due to the fact that the poor, due to poor nutrition, insufficient warm clothing, and lack of resources to heat the premises in which they live, have very reduced immunity. How protected are those vaccinated against tuberculosis:
Pavel Vorobyov, professor, president of the Society for Pharmacoeconomic Research, in his article “Vaccinations, a dispute with nature,” states that only 15-80% of vaccinated people receive immunity from Tuberculosis and suggests vaccinating only the risk group - socially disadvantaged children. What is the probability of the risk of complications: V. A. Aksenova, K. G. Puchkov, N. V. Nikolaeva conducted a study that included more than 1,200,000 vaccinated children! In their article “Problems of mass anti-tuberculosis immunization in modern conditions”, written based on the results of a massive study, they provide statistics after vaccination complications in the Moscow region: for every 100,000 vaccinated children - 19.6 cases of complications, and also point to the fact that cases complications during revaccination are more common than cases of disease! In turn, statistics of infectious diseases for 9 months of 2012 and 2013 on the website of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare tells us that in 2013, for every 100,000 children, 9.62 cases of active forms of tuberculosis were registered. To the above, it should be added that “manta ray” is also far from a harmless procedure, as it might seem at first glance, and can also be one of the ways of becoming infected with tuberculosis!

Vaccine injection site

At the age of 7 years, a child should only be injected with the BCG bacillus with a clean disposable syringe. Before inserting the needle into the skin, it needs to be stretched a little. First, you should partially inject the solution into the body to understand how correctly the syringe is positioned. If everything happens correctly, you should complete the procedure.

A papule with a diameter of 5 to 10 millimeters immediately appears at the site of BCG injection. The top should be whitish in color. Its disappearance occurs quite quickly - in just 15 or 20 minutes.

The location of the vaccine is determined quite specifically - experts recommend it be carried out on the outer part of the shoulder of the left limb, where the border between the second and third parts passes. Most often, the drug is administered intradermally. But you can inject it subcutaneously or intramuscularly. If it is impossible to inject a child in the shoulder, then most often the injection is given in the thigh.

What causes the appearance of scars or their absence?

A person receives several vaccinations throughout his life. Why do visible marks on the skin remain only after the administration of BCG and smallpox vaccines?

Injections of the vaccine preparations under consideration are performed intradermally: the first injection against smallpox and all anti-tuberculosis ones. During vaccination, bacteria enter the skin. In response to their presence, an inflammatory process (sometimes even necrotic) is formed around the injection site; the body forms a protective capsule against microbes (pustule). Therefore, sometimes the left shoulder hurts after vaccination, the injection site becomes hard, and there is a slight increase in temperature. This is a natural process that cannot be interfered with - there is a risk of interfering with the formation of antibodies to the disease.

The healing process may take several weeks or even months. After the administration of the BCG vaccine, a compaction forms at the injection site, noticeably rising above the skin. This seal is filled with liquid. Periodically, the blister bursts, suppuration occurs, then the wound heals again. This may happen repeatedly. The doctor who performed the vaccination makes recommendations to ensure that the healing process is as painless as possible.

In any case, a scar on the shoulder is an indicator for the doctor that the vaccination was done correctly and gave a normal reaction. Therefore, you should not worry about marks that are a few millimeters in size. Its absence, on the contrary, may mean that the vaccine was administered incorrectly. Or a protective reaction does not occur due to the fact that the child already has immunity against the disease - congenital or acquired as a result of contact with a sick person.

The absence of a characteristic scar on the hand may indicate the following.

1. The patient's skin has excellent innate regenerative properties.
2. The vaccination was not done for objective reasons, for example, due to contraindications - contact with a patient with tuberculosis prior to the procedure, immunodeficiency conditions, and the like.
3. Parents and other official representatives issued a refusal to vaccinate for subjective reasons.

Possible deviations from the norm

In situations where the child’s body has not responded in any way to the administration of the drug, doctors suspect two things: the absence of an immune response to the causative agent of the disease or the vaccination procedure was performed incorrectly. Before revaccination, the baby is given a tuberculin test. Re-use of the drug is possible if there is a negative test result. Another way to eliminate the problem is to reintroduce BCG to the child upon reaching the age of seven.

Sometimes the reason for the absence of characteristic manifestations of the child’s body in response to vaccination is the presence of innate immunity. In this case, no specific scar is formed. The Mantoux test is also used to identify such children. After the study, a child with immune protection to tuberculosis has no reaction to it.

There are cases in which the scar forms under the skin, and not on it. An experienced doctor can effectively detect its presence, because it differs from a normal scar by the presence of slight redness. This indicates deep-seated skin changes, to eliminate which you should seek help from a specialized specialist.

BCG does not heal for a long period of time in cases where infectious agents enter the wound after an injection. Therefore, to eliminate this, you need to immediately treat the underlying disease, which will prevent the development of severe complications.

During various stages of vaccination, complications may arise in the child.

Among them, the most common are:

• the formation of large ulcers at or around the injection site;
• cold abscess, characteristic of improper administration of the vaccine;
• development of inflammatory processes in the lymph nodes;
• keloid scar, which can be located not only on the skin, but also under it;
• Osteitis and other lesions of the musculoskeletal system;
• bone tuberculosis;
• BCG infection with the formation of inflammatory foci.

The structure of a keloid scar is similar to a scar from a thermal burn. It is capable of growing with the subsequent development of a number of characteristic features.

These include:

• the scar acquires a reddish or brownish tint;
• growth of the capillary network inside the scar;
• change in shape.

Its development is associated with a violation of the regenerative processes in the child or due to the presence of skin genetic pathologies. Also, keloid scars are observed when the rules of the vaccination procedure are not followed. To eliminate them, intensive therapy is used, aimed at stopping or slowing down the process of scar formation.

Keloid scars differ from hypertrophic formations by the presence of a pronounced capillary network and swelling. Also, their surface has a bright color.

The presence of hypertrophic nodes is not accompanied by itching, and they can disappear on their own after a certain period of time.

Complications

Complications after BCG can occur even in those people for whom this vaccination was not prohibited for any reason. Regional lymphadenitis is considered a normal phenomenon: the lymph node located near the site of vaccine administration increases to 1 cm in diameter, a compaction appears at the site of vaccination, and a papule is formed that remains for up to 2 weeks (after which a small scar appears in its place). Complications often develop when instructions are not followed, indications for vaccination are ignored, etc.

Temperature

An increase in temperature after BCG vaccination is not considered a pathological manifestation if it goes away on the first day. It may appear the next day or within a few hours after the drug is administered to the body. The use of medications is necessary only when the indicator rises to 38°C or more. If the temperature remains elevated for more than 2 days, it is recommended to consult a doctor. At home, to combat this side effect, drink plenty of fluids.

If there is no temperature at all after BCG, the reaction is not considered good: there is a high probability that the child has not developed immunity to Koch’s bacillus.

Why does the vaccination site fester?

Suppuration can occur if the injection technique is incorrect. If the BCG vaccination festers, it is necessary to urgently begin treatment: purulent processes can spread. Often such a reaction develops due to a cold abscess. If such a complication of BCG vaccination occurs, you need to take action as soon as possible and consult a doctor.

Cold abscesses

Cold abscess after BCG is a side effect in which an abscess occurs, there are no other pronounced manifestations (temperature, redness, swelling, symptoms of intoxication). The complication does not immediately manifest itself aggressively; At first, you can only see a small wound at the injection site. Externally, it can manifest itself differently in each person, depending on the individual characteristics of the body.

Within 2-3 days after administration, you can observe that the BCG vaccination has turned red and slightly swollen. Then, however, such manifestations disappear, and within 1-1.5 months there are no manifestations of the pathological process. Then a papule appears, quickly turning into an abscess. It can break out in different ways. Normally, the neoplasm looks like a pimple, a capsule with clearly visible purulent contents. It reaches 1-1.2 cm in diameter.

For small suppurations, there is no need to worry. Their occurrence is considered a variant of the norm, a natural reaction of the body. If the size of the abscess is too large, the skin around the BCG injection site turns red, secondary infection or mechanical damage caused by improper insertion of the needle is possible. In such a situation, you will need the help of a specialist. BCG does not often fester; A similar complication is more often observed during the first vaccination than during revaccination.

Other

Lymphadenitis is considered normal if the diameter of the lymph node does not exceed 1 cm. In situations where, due to inflammation, the size is too large, you will have to consult a doctor. Sometimes surgery may be required.

Sometimes after BCG the consequences appear in the form of an ulcer that occurs at the site of insertion of the syringe. Keloids (areas of scar tissue that grow in the area where the vaccine was administered) also appear.

A rarer side effect of BCG is osteitis, an inflammatory process that develops in bone tissue. Bone tuberculosis is considered a more dangerous pathology. The pathology manifests itself 1-3 years after the introduction of weakened microorganisms and is difficult to treat.

After vaccination with BCG, an allergic reaction may result. A skin rash appears, and general symptoms of intoxication are noted (weakness, nausea, loss of appetite, increased fatigue; young children can become capricious and whiny). If a similar reaction to BCG was treated in an infant, at an older age they refuse the vaccine.

BCGit is also rarely observed.

Manifestations of erythema nodosum are possible. This pathology is characterized by the appearance of painful, swollen nodes on the body, a general asthenic state, and an increase in body temperature (low-grade fever is more often observed, and high temperature is less common).

Granuloma annulare is also manifested by the appearance of nodes. They are small in size (about 3-4 mm in diameter), high density, and often merge into rings.

Possible development of lupus. A specific rash appears on the limbs and face. In addition, there are joint pains and a general deterioration in well-being. Anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia develop.

When should you see a doctor? Is it bad if the vaccine turns red or swells?

A number of complications that occur after receiving the BCG vaccine require immediate medical attention to prevent serious health consequences. These include:

• severe swelling, inflammation and suppuration, which does not go away 2-3 days after the injection;
• an extensive (more than 1 cm in diameter) ulcer that forms at the site of vaccine administration;
• high temperature observed for a long time, vomiting, diarrhea, cough (such phenomena are most often not associated with vaccination, but indicate an infectious disease);
• pain in the limb into which the drug was injected, as well as limitation of motor activity;
• the resulting ulcer does not heal for a long time.

The absence of any reactions to the vaccine also requires consultation with a doctor - this may mean that the body did not respond appropriately to the administration of the drug, or that the child has innate immunity to tuberculosis.

Sparavka. Innate immunity to tuberculosis is present in 2% of the world's population. The presence of immunity means that a person is immune to tuberculosis pathogens and is not at risk of infection. The body of such people does not respond to the introduction of an anti-tuberculosis vaccine, but this can only be determined using the Mantoux test.

In 98% of cases, BCG vaccination occurs in newborns without any complications, and with careful observation and care of the injection site, the possibility of their development tends to zero. Considering the rate of spread of tuberculosis in modern society, as well as the serious threat to health and life that it entails, the benefits of vaccination can be said to far outweigh the risk of side effects.

This is important to know about the BCG vaccination

Vaccination against tuberculosis is one of the first places in the vaccination calendar. BCG is injected 3-7 days after the birth of the baby, if there are no contraindications. This vaccination is intended for absolutely all children in our country, given the deplorable mortality statistics from tuberculosis. Parents should know why there is such a rush and what the effect of the vaccine is.

Interpretation and purpose of vaccination

BCG is the Russian version of the abbreviation BCG, which stands for Bacillus Calmette-Guérin - Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. The vaccine is named after the scientists who created it at the beginning of the last century. The vaccine preparation is made on the basis of a strain of live weakened tuberculosis bacillus.

Purpose of vaccination:

1. Prevention of tuberculosis by protecting against the transformation of a latent form of the disease into an active one;
2. Prevention of dangerous forms of lung infection, tuberculous meningitis, infection of joints and bones;
3. Reducing the incidence rate among children.

Tuberculosis is more than coughing up blood

Even today, many people call tuberculosis “tuberculosis” for a reason. The disease progresses, provoking an inflammatory process in tissues affected by bacteria, where neoplasms appear in the form of tubercles.

The most common symptom of the disease is a cough with sputum and blood. Since the bacterium spreads by airborne droplets, it most often affects the lungs.

This form of pathology is also called primary; inflammatory processes affect only the respiratory system and lymph nodes.

The progression of tuberculosis is the migration of multiplying microbacteria throughout the human body, which provokes damage to various organs and systems.

Seeing a person with profuse rashes and cicatricial scars, you may think that he has serious problems with digestion or blockage of the sebaceous glands, but you will never suspect skin tuberculosis. Yes, this disease can affect not only the lungs!

Effect of the vaccine

Parents need to remember that no vaccination can absolutely protect their child from contracting a particular disease. But in 100% of cases, a vaccinated person tolerates the disease much easier than an unvaccinated person.

The risk of complications is minimal, death is excluded. It is impossible to prevent infection with microbacteria, since millions of people on the planet who regularly undergo fluorography and are not diagnosed with tuberculosis are its carriers.

Vaccination and revaccination with BCG modulate the body's immunity, which does not allow the pathogen to provoke a full-fledged disease.

Thanks to this, the microbacterium is always in an inert state, without having any effect on the vital processes in the human body.

If the vaccination was done late, or the immunomodulation turned out to be insufficient (due to poor-quality vaccine, physical characteristics of the person, etc.), then the disease will still not be able to develop into a severe form, because the body will have cells that resist infection.

Within minutes after the vaccine is administered, tuberculosis microbacteria enter the lymph nodes and bloodstream. They settle in organs and systems, which provokes a restructuring of the immune system - from now on it is sensitive to tuberculin and produces specific antibodies.

Vaccination at birth

The BCG vaccine is recommended for administration in the maternity hospital, since the environment there is more sterile. But as soon as you and your baby cross the threshold of the maternity ward, you may encounter a mass of carriers of the tuberculosis bacillus.

No one knows exactly how many people with open forms of the disease move freely, so the baby runs the risk of getting sick in the first days of his life. The danger of infection of a newborn is the transience of the pathology, which often provokes tuberculous meningitis and death.

Timely vaccination will not be able to protect a baby up to a year from the disease, but certainly from its complications. That is why it is better not to postpone the BCG vaccination without a good reason, planning to get it at a clinic or private medical center. This vaccine must be administered before the baby meets the large and densely populated world.

If you think that vaccinations in the first days of a child’s life are a blow to his fragile immunity, then this is not so, because the antibodies he inherited from his mother are active in his body. WHO strongly recommends BCG vaccination no later than 7 days after the baby is born, optimally on the day of discharge.

How the BCG vaccination protects a child from tuberculosis, says Dr. Komarovsky.

Individual intolerance

There are cases when a child after a BCG vaccination begins to feel unwell. Most often, the cause of this condition is an individual reaction to the administered drug or its components. Symptoms of this phenomenon may include:

1. Severe weakness, lethargy, apathy.
2. Loss of appetite.
3. Sleep disturbance.
4. A sharp increase in temperature.
5. Headache.
6. Joint pain.
7. Severe allergic reaction.
8. Hyperemia of the injection site and surrounding area.
9. Swelling over 3 cm.

In particular, this is why doctors recommend staying close to the clinic at least during the first half hour. As a rule, with individual intolerance, symptoms appear immediately.

If your baby exhibits any of the above symptoms after vaccination, you should definitely consult a doctor for advice. Firstly, a note will be made in the child’s card, secondly, the baby will be given first aid and, if necessary, treatment will be prescribed, thirdly, these symptoms are not always the result of intolerance, it is possible that the child’s vaccination coincided with the onset of a cold diseases, for example.