BCG vaccine scarcity increases worry in parents
“I do not know what to do. This is the second time I am coming to the hospital with my baby but the BCG vaccine is still not available. I am scared” Henriette, a 28 year old lady who has just given birth to her baby girl, is yet to get the BCG vaccine.
Since July 6 2022, public and private hospitals in several parts of Cameroon have not been able to administer the vaccine to new born babies due to unavailability. At the ministry of public health, no information filters but anonymous sources blame this scarcity on the Covid19 pandemic as laboratories focus more on the production of Covid19 vaccines over other vaccines.
Nursing mothers are worried for the health of their kids without this vaccine as they have been told the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is given to children aged 0-11 months to build their immunity and protect them from tuberculosis. The vaccine guaranties about 80% immunity to children for up to 15 years.
This scenario is not new in Cameroon. In 2017 and in 2021, mothers complained of the scarcity of the vaccine though government pushed for its arrival weeks after the scarcity was signaled. However, medics say parents should remain calm as the BCG vaccine can be administered to children before they turn 1 year as such, their babies are not exposed to diseases yet. They also have encouraged breastfeeding mothers to respect the 6-month breast milk prescription to boost the immune system of their babies.
