SOME EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY OF MASS BCG VACCINATION

Abstract

To assess the efficacy of mass BCG (bacille Calmette Guerin) programs a comparative analysis of age-specific trends in the incidence of active tuberculosis was made in the 3 Scandinavian countries, where mass vaccination of specific age-groups has been carried out since the late 1940s, and 2 states of the USA (upstate New York and Ohio), where mass BCG campaigns have never been conducted. In the 3 Scandinavian countries a markedly more favorable incidence trend was observed in the age-groups following the 1st inoculation-as compared with other age-groups in the same country and with corresponding age-groups in the other countries where a different BCG program, or no program at all, has been applied.