BCG Vax Protects Older People From Respiratory Infections: A Study

London, September 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) Originally made for tuberculosis, the Bacille Calmette-Guerin or BCG vaccine provides effective protection against a variety of infections-probably also for Covid-19 and respiratory infections in the elderly. It also protects against illness.

BCG is often given to children, but a double-blind, randomized clinical trial published in the journal Cell shows that older adults also benefit from it.

“Two years ago, we started the ACTIVATE study to show if BCG vaccination could protect vulnerable older people from infection,” said Mihai Netea, a researcher at the University of Radobud in the Netherlands.

According to the researchers, patients aged 65 and older admitted to the hospital were randomized to receive BCG or placebo vaccination at discharge.

“We followed for one year to see if BCG could protect against a wide range of infectious diseases,” Netea said.

The team has revealed that the ACTIVATE test has already begun before the corona pandemic. At discharge from the hospital, a total of 198 seniors received the placebo or BCG vaccine.

There were striking differences during the study: in the placebo group, 42.3 percent of the elderly developed the infection, which was only true in 25 percent of the BCG group.

Participants vaccinated with the BCG vaccine also had their first infection on average 16 weeks post vaccination, compared to 11 weeks in the placebo group. There was no difference in side effects.

“The most important observation was that BCG could protect primarily from respiratory infections: BCG vaccinated older people had 75% fewer respiratory infections than those who received placebo,” the study said. Coordinator J. Jamare Rosbourg said.

According to the team, most protection seems to be against viral (probably) respiratory infections, but it has not yet been shown whether BCG also works against Covid-19.

However, this study shows that it is safe to administer the BCG vaccine to the elderly and protects the elderly from various infections.

Several studies are underway to specifically examine the impact of BCG on Covid-19.

A study published in Cell Reports Medicine last month revealed that the BCG vaccine is effective against Covid-19 because it has a general stimulatory effect on the immune system.

Source: IANS

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