[BCG vaccination]

Abstract

In the last two decades the incidence of tuberculosis in Austria has lowered very dramatically. So the danger of routineously made BCG-vaccinations in newborns got higher than the risk of Tbc-infections. The complications of BCG-vaccinations are: 1. severe local reactions (esp. purulent BCG-lymphadenitis), 2. BCG-osteomyelitis and 3. BCG-sepsis. The quantity of purulent lymphadenitis is dependent from the vaccine-type; "normal" vaccines cause 0.3%, the BCG-Pasteur Intradermal P-Vaccine caused 7.5%! Therefore the further use of this vaccine was forbidden. In Austria with January 1st 1990 the routineously vaccinations of the newborns was stopped, and since this date only special indications for BCG-vaccination are recommended (high risk of Tbc-infection).