BCG vaccine is given?

Appeared in: IGNOU Post B. SC. Nursing entrance-2019

Explanation

The BCG vaccine is recommended at birth according to the National Immunization Schedule in India.
Administering the vaccine at birth provides early protection against severe forms of childhood tuberculosis, such as TB meningitis and miliary TB.
For institutional deliveries, it is a standard practice to administer BCG, Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV-0), and Hepatitis B (Birth dose) before discharge.
If the vaccine is missed at birth, it can be given at any time up to one year of age without prior tuberculin testing.

Option B: 12 months is not the recommended age for the primary BCG vaccination. At 12-15 months, vaccines like the first dose of MMR and the booster for PCV are typically administered.
Option C: 6 months is not the standard time for BCG vaccination. The third doses of DPT, IPV, Hepatitis B, and Rotavirus vaccines are typically given at 6 months.
Option D: 9 months is the recommended age for the first dose of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine and the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) booster, not BCG.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain National Immunization Schedule: Timing of BCG Vaccination as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Early vaccination with BCG is a critical public health strategy in countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis, like India, to reduce infant mortality and morbidity from severe TB.
Nurses must ensure the correct intradermal technique is used to form a wheal, as a subcutaneous injection can lead to an abscess.
The presence of a BCG scar is often used as a proxy for vaccination history, although its absence does not definitively mean the vaccination failed or was not given.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question based on a standard medical schedule.
Identify the core of the question: the timing of the BCG vaccine.
Recall the National Immunization Schedule for infants in India.
Remember that three vaccines are given at birth: BCG, OPV (zero dose), and Hepatitis B (birth dose).
Select the option that matches this knowledge, which is 'at birth'.
Eliminate other options by associating them with other key vaccines (e.g., 9 months with Measles/MMR).

Concept Tested & Keywords

QD-3ObRuKFob0QbwmHCouc

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart B (pp 202-403 of 604) pp. 43-45, 42-44

Practise the full IGNOU Post B. SC. Nursing entrance-2019

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.