+ 5 more offer it outside the routine schedule
What the BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine protects against
Given as a single injection, usually into the upper arm, leaving a small scar. It does not prevent all TB but strongly protects babies and young children against the most severe forms - TB meningitis and disseminated (miliary) TB.
Also known as: Bacille Calmette-Guerin
Why children are given it
Used routinely in countries where TB is common (South Africa, India, Brazil, Russia and others) and offered selectively elsewhere to babies with a higher chance of exposure.
From each country's official schedule, checked against its sources (last full check 2026-09-16). Tap a country for its whole schedule and a personalised timeline.
| Country | Routine doses |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Not on the routine schedule
Also offered: BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine - Around 28 days old. Babies more likely to come into contact with TB - for example those with a parent or grandparent from a country with high TB rates, or living in an area of the UK with higher TB levels. |
| 🇺🇸 United States | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Not on the routine schedule
Also offered: BCG (tuberculosis) - Infancy. Offered to infants in some First Nations and Inuit communities with high rates of tuberculosis. |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | Birth (1 dose)
BCG |
| 🇮🇳 India | Birth (1 dose)
BCG |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | 3 to 7 days (1 dose)
BCG-M (tuberculosis) |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | Not on the routine schedule
Also offered: BCG (tuberculosis) - Infancy, if indicated. No longer routine in Ireland; offered to babies at higher risk of TB exposure. |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Not on the routine schedule
Also offered: BCG (tuberculosis) - Infancy. Offered to babies at higher risk of TB, for example those living with or travelling to countries with high TB rates. |
| 🇫🇷 France | Not on the routine schedule
Also offered: BCG (tuberculosis) - From 1 month. Recommended (no longer mandatory) for children at higher risk of TB - for example those born in or with family from a high-incidence country, or living in Ile-de-France, Guyane or Mayotte. |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Not on the routine schedule |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | Birth (1 dose)
BCG |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | Birth (1 dose)
BCG |
Good to know
- BCG mainly protects babies and young children against the most severe forms of TB, such as TB meningitis.
- Countries where TB is common give it to every baby; others offer it only to babies more likely to be exposed.
- It is given just once in childhood.
Side effects: what is normal
- A small blister or sore forms where the injection was given a few weeks later. It can ooze a little before healing over several weeks and usually leaves a small scar - this is normal.
- Keep it clean and dry and do not cover it with a plaster or put cream on it.
- See your doctor if it becomes very large, very painful or the glands in the armpit swell.
Most side effects are mild and pass within a day or two. Get medical advice straight away if your child has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or mouth, a fit, a temperature of 38°C or more in a baby under 3 months, or you are worried in any way. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Your doctor, nurse, health visitor or pharmacist can advise on your own child.
It depends on the country. Across the 5 countries that include it on their routine schedule, the first dose is given from Birth to 3 to 7 days. The table on this page shows every country.
Routine schedules give 1 dose in childhood, depending on the country and the product used. Combination vaccines can mean one injection counts towards several diseases.
It is routine in 5 of the 14 countries on this site. United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and France offer it to particular groups of children (for example by season, health condition or risk). We do not currently list it on the childhood schedule for United States, Australia, Germany and Netherlands - some countries run separate regional, seasonal or risk-group programmes, so ask your local clinic.
Yes. Vaccines on the childhood schedule are given by age, not by sex - girls and boys receive the same doses at the same ages.
It is almost never too late to catch up, and a missed dose rarely means starting again - your doctor or nurse will continue from where your child left off. A few vaccines (such as rotavirus) have upper age limits. Contact your clinic to book a catch-up appointment.
- South Africa - National Department of Health - Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI-SA)
- India - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)
- Russia - Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation - National Preventive Vaccination Calendar
- Brazil - Ministerio da Saude - Programa Nacional de Imunizacoes (PNI)
- Singapore - Ministry of Health (MOH) / Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) - National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (NCIS)
- United Kingdom - NHS / UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
- United States - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / ACIP
- Canada - Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) / National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)
- Australia - Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care - National Immunisation Program (NIP)
- Germany - Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute / ECDC
- Ireland - Health Service Executive (HSE) / National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC)
- New Zealand - Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora / Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC)
- France - Ministere de la Sante / Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) - calendrier vaccinal
- Netherlands - RIVM - National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma)
- NHS - NHS vaccinations and when to have them
- CDC - Possible side effects from vaccines
- WHO - Vaccines and immunization
How we research and check this information: our editorial policy.
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