Peer-reviewed article
Scar among Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccinated Children Presenting to an Immunisation Clinic at a Tertiary Hospital in Nepal: An Observational Study.
Dhakal AK, Kc D, Shrestha B, Shrestha D, Neupane N et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined the rate of scarring in children who received the BCG vaccine at a hospital immunisation clinic in Nepal. Among 386 children aged 12-15 months, 88.34% developed the characteristic BCG scar, while 11.66% did not. The median scar size was 4mm by 3mm. The study found that scar failure rates were comparable to international findings, and no children with respiratory infections required anti-tuberculosis treatment.
Key points
- BCG scar prevalence was 88.34% (341/386 children), with 11.66% scar failure rate
- Vaccination was confirmed in 94.82% of cases by history or vaccination card
- Median scar size was 4mm transversely and 3mm vertically
- 8.30% of infants (32/386) required hospital admission for respiratory infections
- None of the hospitalised children received anti-tubercular treatment
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional observational study without a comparison group, so it cannot determine causal factors for scar failure or establish why some vaccinated children do not develop scars. The study cannot evaluate the protective effectiveness of BCG vaccination or whether scar absence indicates reduced immunity.
Abstract
Introduction Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination is associated with the development of scarring at the vaccination site in most children within 12 weeks of vaccination. However, due to various factors, some children do not develop scars. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of scar failure and the differences in clinical characteristics between scar-positive and scar-negative children. Methods This observational cross-section study was conducted between 12 September 2022 and 15 April 2024 on children attending a vaccination clinic at a tertiary care hospital for 12 or 15-month vaccination. A purposive sampling method was used, and 386 children were enrolled in the study. During medical history, information was collected on Bacillus Clamettte-Guerin vaccination, child and maternal clinical profiles, and hospitalisations for respiratory tract infections in children. Results Among 386 infants, prevalence of BCG scar was 341 (88.34%; 95% CI: 91.81 %-91.37%). Vaccination was confirmed in 94.82% by history and card. The median scar size was 4mm (IQR: 2,5 mm) transversely and 3 mm (IQR: 2,5) vertically. Thirty-two (8.30%) infants required hospital admission for respiratory infections; none received anti-tubercular treatment. Conclusions The BCG scar formation was higher compare to the scar failure. The scar failure was comparable to other studies.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- BCG vaccination delivered at immunisation clinic
- Population
- 386 children aged 12-15 months presenting to immunisation clinic at tertiary hospital in Nepal
Key finding
88.34% (341/386) of vaccinated children developed BCG scars
AK et al. · Europe PMC · 31 May 2025