What’s a BCG vaccination and why does my child need one? Dr Dulcy explains

Hi Doc,

I was told to get the BCG vaccination for my child. Can you please explain what this is?

This is a vaccine that protects your baby against being infected by Tuberculosis. It is normally given as part of the childhood immunisations we do in the country. Anyone under the age of 35 can benefit from this vaccine especially when in areas with high prevalence or also at risk of severe forms of TB like TB Meningitis and military TB. In South Africa it is normally given at birth to infants, please make sure to check if this was done for your baby or not.

Dr Dulcy who holds an MBBCH degree from Wits University, a diploma in occupational health,diploma in HIV management, travel medicine diploma, masters of science in sports medicine, and a masters in business administration degree from GIBS is here to help!

Dr Dulcy will join the Citizen’s Parenty team every second Tuesday and you can ask health-related questions about your kids and about yourself. To get your questions answered, email editors@parenty.co.za, or leave a comment on our Facebook page.*

Dr Dulcy is a social entrepreneur with a passion for providing healthcare and wellness solutions for low and middle-income communities in South Africa. As the 2016 Social Entrepreneurship Regional Business Achiever award winner for Business Women’s Association, she started Accessible Quality Healthservices (AQH) in 2013 after being a general practitioner in Vryburg then Carletonville for 11 years.

In 2015, she partnered with Pascal Frohlicher and we founded U-Care Medical Centres which focused on building private medical centres and providing world-class health services at an affordable cost. This company evolved in 2019 to become quadcare, which is a network of medical centres in areas where they are needed the most providing access to affordable healthcare. Currently, the centres are in Edenvale, Fox Street Johannesburg, Meadowlands, Carletonville, University of Johannesburg, and Park Station.

Dr Dulcy said her life’s purpose was to make an impact on how healthcare was delivered in this country, especially to the poor.

*Always consult your paediatrician, gynaecologist or health-care provider for all health matters relating to you and your children.