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You are in: Home > Chest Information > Chest Conditions > Tuberculosis > Prevention

Prevention of TB

• Is there a vaccine to prevent TB?
• How else can the spread of TB be prevented?
• Travelling / working abroad

The most important action to safeguard public health is to ensure that TB is diagnosed promptly and that treatment is completed.

Is there a vaccine to prevent TB?

The BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guerin) is a vaccine which can help protect against TB. However, the BCG does not prevent TB in all cases.

BCG works best to prevent the more serious forms of TB in children. The BCG vaccination programme that used to be delivered in schools has been replaced with a risk–based programme. This targets babies, children and other individuals who are at greatest risk of exposure to TB:

• Babies and children (up to 16 years) whose parents or grandparents come from an area with high rates of TB (more than 40 cases per 100,000 of the population)
• Those, up to age 35 years, at occupational risk (e.g. health care workers, prison workers)
• Those, up to age 35 years, moving to or living in areas with a high rate of TB for more than 3 months
• Traced contacts of people with TB (up to the age of 35 years who have not been previously vaccinated)
• Those, up to age 35 years, entering the UK from high–risk countries

Only those people who have specific risk factors for TB will be offered a BCG vaccination.

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How else can the spread of TB be prevented?

The most successful ways to prevent the spread of TB are:

• Recognising the symptoms as soon as possible: an early diagnosis of TB can help to stop it spreading
• Getting a prompt diagnosis and starting treatment quickly
• Ensuring a full course of treatment is completed
• Good TB contact tracing to quickly identify / treat people who may be infected with TB

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Travelling / working abroad

• BCG is not recommended as a routine travel vaccination. If you are under 35 years of age and are going to visit, work or live for more than 3 months in a country with a high incidence of TB, it is important that you are protected against TB. You may need a BCG vaccination. Ask for advice at your doctor's surgery or phone NHS 24 (0845 4 242424).
• If you want to have immunisation and you don't fit the criteria you may have to arrange to have it through a private travel clinic.

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