BCG vaccine BCG was adopted by the Health Committee of the League of Nations (predecessor to the WHO). Because of opposition, however, it only became widely used after World War II. From 1945 to 1948, relief organizations (International Tuberculosis Campaign or Joint Enterprises) vaccinated over 8 million babies in eastern Europe and prevented the predicted typical increase of TB after a major war. BCG is very efficacious against tuberculous meningitis in the pediatric age group, but its efficacy against pulmonary tuberculosis appears to be variable. As of 2006, only a few countries do not use BCG for routine vaccination. Two countries that
Inoculation needle above the sterile agar plate, the inoculation needle will be streaked across the plate in controlled directions. Microbial aerosols can be created from the hitting of the inoculation tip to the sides of the agar plate. The inoculation needle is then withdrawn from the inoculated agar plate culture and flamed. An inoculation needle is an essential tool in inoculating a stab culture. A sterile stab culture cap is removed and the open end is flamed. The needle tip and its length is then pushed into the stab media and stopped once the needle tip reaches 0.5 inches away from the