TB vaccine recalled by Department of Health

A vaccine against TB has been recalled by the Department of Health because of concern over its effectiveness.

More than 20,000 doses of the BSG vaccine have been recalled after a

random test by the National Institute for Biomedical Standards and Control in Britain found the product may have "failed to maintain its potency".

Approximately 2,500 recipients of the vaccine will now be identified and contacted by their health boards. These people will be tested to find out if their vaccine has been effective. In cases where it has not, these people will be offered revaccination.

"There is no health risk other than a person may not yet have immunity to TB," according to the Department of Health and Children.

This is the first incident of possible reduced effectiveness of this product produced by Evans Vaccines Ltd. and distributed by United Drug.

The use of other batches of Evans BCG vaccine have been deferred pending testing and confirmation of their effectiveness.

Although perfectly safe, the BCG vaccine has caused controversy. The vaccine is best at preventing a type of meningitis known as TB meningitis, but it can make identification of other forms of TB more difficult.

According to the National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC) TB cases have shown a steady decline in Ireland over the last 10 years. In 1990 there were 613 cases compared to the provision figure of 409 last year. Nine people died in 1999 from TB.

Today the Minister for Health Mr Martin urged parents to immunise their children under the childhood immunisation programme, which includes BCG, to ensure maximum protection against the diseases concerned.