A vaccine that provides immunity against tuberculosis. is prepared from an artificially weakened strain of bovine (cattle) tubercle bacilli, the microorganisms responsible for the disease. stands for “bacille Calmette–Guérin”, after the 2 Frenchmen who developed the vaccine in 1906. is given to people at risk of tuberculosis and for whom a tuberculin test is negative.
These people include health workers, contacts of people who have tuberculosis, and immigrants (including children) from countries with a high rate of tuberculosis.
Infants born to immigrants in this category are immunized, without having a tuberculin test, within a few days of birth.
The vaccine is also recommended for children aged 10–14 years for whom the test is negative.
n. a means of producing immunity to a disease by using a *vaccine, or a special preparation of antigenic material, to stimulate the formation of appropriate antibodies. The name was applied originally only to treatment with vaccinia (cowpox) virus, which gives protection not only against cowpox itself but also against the related smallpox. However, it is now used synonymously with inoculation as a method of *immunization against any disease. Vaccination is often carried out in two or three stages, as separate doses are less likely to cause unpleasant side-effects. A vaccine is usually given by injection but may be introduced into the skin through light scratches; for some diseases (such as polio), oral vaccines are available.... vaccination