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BCG eligibility — DCH MCQ

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HardImmunisationBCG eligibilityDCH

A term infant is 5 days old. The infant's father completed treatment for fully sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis 6 months before the birth; the TB service confirms that he is cured and non-infectious, and household screening found no active disease. The family lives in a UK area where the annual TB incidence is 45 per 100,000. The newborn blood-spot sample has been collected, but the severe combined immunodeficiency screening result is not yet available. What is the most appropriate management?

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Correct answer: D — Record BCG eligibility and arrange vaccination at around 28 days after checking the SCID result

The correct answer is D. Infants living in a UK area with an annual TB incidence of at least 40 per 100,000 are eligible for the selective BCG programme. Eligible infants are normally vaccinated at around 28 days, after the newborn SCID screening outcome has been checked because BCG is a live vaccine. Immediate vaccination while the result is pending is therefore inappropriate. The father's previous pulmonary TB reinforces the need for careful assessment, but the stem confirms completed treatment, non-infectious status and satisfactory household screening; it does not describe current infectious exposure requiring chemoprophylaxis or postponement under a contact-management pathway. Successful treatment of the father does not remove the infant's independent area-based eligibility, and routine adolescent BCG vaccination is not UK policy.

Reference: UK Health Security Agency. Complete routine immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026, selective immunisation programmes, 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-complete-routine-immunisation-schedule/complete-routine-immunisation-schedule-from-1-january-2026