Health, Medical and Family Welfare department will begin the Adult Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Vaccination drive, initiative of Government of India in 17 districts of Telangana by the end of October or November first week.
Twenty-three States have consented to participate in the BCG vaccination study in adults in the first phase and in second phase, Telangana is one among them which has given consent to conduct the drive.
According to the officials in the Health Department, over 25 lakh vaccine doses of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BC-G) will be administered in Telangana for people coming up voluntarily. The BCG vaccination is being introduced in Telangana and 17 districts have been selected among which Hyderabad district has highest number of beneficiaries of 12,97,400 lakh, followed by Rangareddy 7,95,600 lakh, Medchal Malkajgiri-7,93,000 lakh and Nizamabad with 4,39,400 lakh.
The Asha workers of the Health department who are trained are collecting the details of the individuals interested in taking the vaccine by visiting door-to-door. They are asking individuals if they have any health ailments. They will further communicate with the individuals before two days of vaccination drive via phone and inform them of the nearby locations for the vaccination drive Speaking to The Pioneer, Joint Director (TB) Dr A Rajesham said, & quote . The Adult BCG Vaccination drive will begin in Telangana by the end of October or November first week. We will have a supply of 25 lakh doses as we will be unaware of who will give consent for the drive.& quote Dr Rajesham said, “The target group includes individuals of 18 years, above 50, those with BMI of less than 18-underweight, smokers in past or current, or close contacts of active TB cases.”
BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine was first used in 1921 and became part of the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) in India starting in 1962.
The vaccine has an established safety profile, with minimal risk associated with revaccination. Primary Objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of the BCG vaccine strategy among at-risk adults (18 years and older) over a 36-month period. The vaccination will occur in a campaign mode over three months, free of charge at government immunization sites.
