Jalisco will receive BCG vaccine against tuberculosis for newborns

The head of the Jalisco Health Secretariat, Héctor Raúl Pérez Gómez, announced that A batch of the BCG vaccine will arrive in the state on October 28th. used to protect girls and boys against severe forms of tuberculosis.

"We will receive it on October 28th. As is known , there was a global shortage of this biological product due to production and distribution issues, which affected availability in several countries, including Mexico," the secretary recalled.

Pérez Gómez stated that On October 29, the organization for its application in hospitals and medical units in Jalisco will begin, with priority for newborns; however, he noted that Minors who did not receive it at birth can also be given it without any risk, Well, the application has a limit of up to five years.

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“We will have the vaccines starting October 29. There are people who frequently ask us, since this is a vaccine given at birth, if it was not given then, "There's no problem with doing it later. It provides the same protection," the Health Secretary assured.

The official noted that the BCG vaccine primarily protects against the most severe forms of the disease, such as meningeal tuberculosis and disseminated tuberculosis, which can be life-threatening during the first years of life. Pérez Gómez explained that the shortage of this biological product was not exclusive to Jalisco or Mexico, but was part of a production deficit on a global scale, which delayed its availability in different health systems.

"The reason Mexico didn't have it last month is something shared by everyone: a production deficit that affected virtually every country," he said. The official added that the biological product comes from federal supplies, so It will be distributed to entities through the Ministry of Health of the Government of Mexico.

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Although he did not specify the exact number of doses assigned to Jalisco, Pérez Gómez emphasized that the supply will allow the application to resume in public hospitals and health centers, especially in the areas of maternity and pediatrics, where the highest demand was detected during the months of shortage.

With this new delivery, the Jalisco Ministry of Health seeks to regularize vaccination coverage for newborns and children who had not received BCG, after approximately 11 months of shortage.

Finally, Pérez Gómez emphasized that families can confidently go to the nearest health centers to request the vaccine. "On October 28, we will be receiving the tuberculosis vaccine in the state of Jalisco, and we will begin administering it the following day, to allow time for distribution," the secretary reiterated.

ACE