Overview

• The Health Ministry said doses were released and distribution to public-sector clinics began on October 8, with application expected across the country in about 15 days.
• The vaccine is free and part of the national schedule, given as a single dose ideally within the first 30 days of life and available up to age 14 if missed.
• Authorities previously tied the months-long shortage to the manufacturer’s move to India, which triggered a new Cofepris registration and kept roughly 3.4 million doses on hold.
• BCG is intended to protect children against severe tuberculosis forms, including meningeal and miliary disease, and it typically causes a local lesion that heals into a small scar.
• Because BCG can produce false-positive tuberculin skin tests, experts advise IGRA blood tests to evaluate TB infection in vaccinated individuals.