BCG (TB vaccine) a possible big help till Covid 19 vaccine

Harry Palmr

Interesting possible help the BSG vaccine (for tuberculosis) which Ireland could well be about to stop administering as routine could have a positive effect to mitigate the effects of Covid 19 by giving big boost to the immune system, esp among the elderly. So it's not going to stop it but by next winter it could be a massive help getting through till a dedicated vaccine.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/tuberculosis-vaccine-potential-game-changer-in-covid-19-fight-1.4220383

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLTcNHfRuVs

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/news/bcg2018.html

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), an independent expert group on immunisation and the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) have both recommended that BCG vaccine does not now need to be given routinely to all children in Ireland.

The Department of Health will make a decision on NIAC and HIQA recommendations.

The HSE must await instruction from the Department of Health regarding BCG vaccination.

World BCG Map,

A: The country currently has universal BCG vaccination program. B: The country used to recommend BCG vaccination for everyone, but currently does not. C: The country never had universal BCG vaccination programs.

Ireland should now be in group B as there have been no vaccinations since 2015 due to no cases (a weird policy on it's own terms)

Vorsprung

We stopped routinely administering BCG nationally about 5 years ago as there was a shortage of the vaccine worldwide. It was given to at risk groups, that included Traveller children amongst others.

The link you've sight is far from airtight. The article you've cited is based on a short, non peer reviewed paper, so a lot more study is needed. That said, it's great that there's so much work being done into this, behind the scenes.

MarkR

I wondered why I didn't have that scar. Turns out yanks don't get it. 😬

Deep Thought

Let’s all stop trying to be virologists and experts in infectious diseases and listen to the HSE and WHO Instead.

lalababa

There is some talk about ivermectin, that it killed all coronovirus in 48hr.s in lab conditions (test tube/petri dish).
Ivermectin is widely available and mainly used in cattle for liver fluke and worms.
It is also used (at a similar dosage 200mcg/kg to cattle AFAIK) in humans for parasites aswell.

lalababa

For ivermectin link look up ....thatsfarming.com/news , also linked in that article is the scientific paper.

Joe_ Public

Deep Thought wrote: »

Let’s all stop trying to be virologists and experts in infectious diseases and listen to the HSE and WHO Instead.

The story is coming from WHO. The woman in the above link is a WHO adviser.

ceadaoin.

How long would any theoretical protection last though? I had it as a baby and so did my daughter in 2011 as she was born in London which at the time was considered a high risk area

Harry Palmr

20 minute pod discussion between Pat Kenny and Prof Luke O'Neill (who is a specialist in this vaccine) yesterday. With input from a couple of other experts in the field

https://t.co/gjCp1Qaibj?amp=1

stockshares

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1248294377958641670?s=19

Squeaksoutloud

stockshares wrote: »

https://twitter.com/laoneill111/status/1248294377958641670?s=19

Bold statement in that paper..

'.. provides the first conclusive evidence that mandatory BCG vaccination predicts a flattening of the curve in the spread of COVID-19. The effect we demonstrate is quite substantial.For example, thetotal number of COVID-19 related deaths in the US as of March 29, 2020 would have been 94—4% of the actual figure (2467)—if the US had instituted the mandatory BCG vaccination several decades earlier'

It will be interesting too see if anythings comes of it beyond a correlation but lots of papers circulating on it now.

odyssey06

Squeaksoutloud wrote: »

Bold statement in that paper..

'.. provides the first conclusive evidence that mandatory BCG vaccination predicts a flattening of the curve in the spread of COVID-19. The effect we demonstrate is quite substantial.For example, thetotal number of COVID-19 related deaths in the US as of March 29, 2020 would have been 94—4% of the actual figure (2467)—if the US had instituted the mandatory BCG vaccination several decades earlier'

It will be interesting too see if anythings comes of it beyond a correlation but lots of papers circulating on it now.

We have a fraction of US population and 288 deaths. My understanding is that vast majority of Irish population have the BCG vaccination (please correct if wrong), so not sure how those numbers stack up...

Joe_ Public

Ireland is running about the same as the US in terms of population figures, roughly around the 50 per million mark. Very likely the the US will race well ahead in the coming weeks, though. What that says about the above claim, not a clue really.

auspicious

There's been sudden slump in infection rates in S. Africa which has left everyone there bewildered as to the reason why. Everything is prepped and hospitals and relevant agencies are ready to go but find themselves twiddling their thumbs.
Theories include amongst others TB-BCG childhood vaccinations.

Harry Palmr

Piece on the ongoing look at old vaccines for new viruses.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/opinion/coronavirus-vaccine-innate-immunity.html