Experts warn against usage of BCG vaccine on elderly

Health experts have said that BCG vaccine must not be used on elderly people as it has been designed for children under the Universal Immunisation Programme. An ICMR study has found that the BCG vaccine is beneficial against Covid 19 among elderly people who are among 60 to 80 years of age.

New Delhi: The health experts have expressed concern over the usage of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) on elderly people. The remarks came after the successful trial of BCG vaccine conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as the vaccine was meant for children under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

"BCG vaccine may be helpful in preventing Covid19 among the elderly. Although this is a major breakthrough, at the same time we need to be very cautious and followup is essential. We won't compromise with a vaccine which is meant for children under UIP because children are going to suffer from tuberculosis meningitis and malaria tuberculosis of they don't get the vaccine," said Dr Suneela Garg, Director Professor and Head Community Medicine at Delhi's Maulana Azad Medical and associated hospitals to ETV Bharat.

She said that the BCG vaccine is one of the oldest vaccines used under the immunisation programme.

"BCG is useful for preventing malaria tuberculosis and tuberculosis meningitis (severe form of tuberculosis among children). Now different trials being carried out by ICMR and it shows that it boosts the immune response and it also boasts the memory cell response," said Dr Garg. Several states in India including, Maharastra government have been procuring BCG vaccine. "Till the time we get Covid19 vaccine, this can be a bridge gape arrangements for the elderly," said Dr Garg.

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An ICMR study has found that the BCG vaccine is beneficial against Covid 19 among elderly people who are among 60 to 80 years of age.

It was in July, the ICMR had said that it would conduct a multi-centric study to assess whether the BCG vaccine, used against tuberculosis, can prevent the occurrence of Coronavirus infection and reduce the severity of the disease and mortality among elderly individuals residing in hotspot areas.

Significantly, the researchers concluded that the BCG vaccination was associated with enhanced innate and adaptive memory cell subsets as well as total antibody levels in elderly individuals, suggesting its potential utility in SARS-CoV-2 infection which causes Covid19, by enhancing heterologous immunity.

The ICMR said that in an ongoing study on BCG vaccine, scientists have found that the vaccine induces increased memory cell response and total antibody production in the elderly.

"BCG vaccination induces enhanced innate and adaptive immunity in elderly individuals which may prove beneficial against the Covid virus," the ICMR said.

Interestingly, researchers in the United Kingdom (UK) are also studying the efficacy of BCG vaccine.

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