<h1 class="ql-align-center">BCG Vaccine&nbsp;</h1> <h2>Context:</h2> <ul><li>The first use of BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin), the vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) in humans has been completed for 100 years.</li></ul> <h2>About:</h2> <ul><li>BCG was developed by modifying a strain of Mycobacterium Bovis (that causes TB in cattle) till it lost its capacity to cause disease while retaining its property to stimulate the immune system.</li></ul> <ul><li>It was first used in humans in 1921</li></ul> <ul><li>Currently, BCG is the only licensed vaccine available for the prevention of TB</li></ul> <ul><li>In India, BCG was first introduced on a limited scale in 1948 and became a part of the National TB Control Programme in 1962</li></ul> <ul><li>BCG also protects against respiratory and bacterial infections of the newborns and other mycobacterial diseases like leprosy and Buruli’s ulcer</li></ul> <ul><li>It is also used as an immunotherapy agent in cancer of the urinary bladder and malignant melanoma</li></ul> <h2>Tuberculosis (TB):</h2> <ul><li>TB is a very ancient disease and has been documented to have existed in Egypt as early as 3000 BC.</li></ul> <ul><li>It is caused by a bacterium called&nbsp;Mycobacterium tuberculosis, belonging to the Mycobacteriaceae family.</li></ul> <ul><li>In humans, TB most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).</li></ul>