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TB Vaccine (BCG)

BCG, or bacille Calmette-Guérin, is a vaccine for TB disease. This vaccine is not widely used in the United States, but it is often given to infants and small children in other countries where TB is common. BCG vaccine does not always protect people from getting TB.

If you were vaccinated with BCG, you may have a positive reaction to a TB skin test. This reaction may be due to the BCG vaccine itself or due to infection with the TB bacteria. Your positive reaction probably means you have been infected with TB bacteria if

  • You recently spent time with a person who has active TB disease; or
  • You are from an area of the world where active TB disease is very common (such as most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia); or
  • You spend time where TB disease is common (homeless shelters, migrant farm camps, drug-treatment centers, health care clinics, jails, prisons).

The BCG vaccine should be considered only for very select persons who meet specific criteria and in consultation with a TB expert.

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