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BCG vaccine
noun
: a vaccine prepared from a living attenuated strain of tubercle bacilli and used to vaccinate human beings against tuberculosis
called also BCG
Examples of BCG vaccine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The BCG vaccine is effective at reducing transmission of TB among cows, but the U.K. prohibits its use because current tests can’t distinguish between infected cattle and vaccinated ones—a concern for trading cattle.
—Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 5 Sep. 2024
Merck may have a competition for ever-scarce BCG There’s long been a global shortage of the BCG vaccine, which has long been used to treat bladder cancer.
—Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 6 May 2024
No new shots have been developed since the BCG vaccine, in part because of scientific hurdles — tuberculosis is a far more complex pathogen than, say, SARS-CoV-2 — and in part because the disease primarily affects the planet’s poorest, providing little financial incentive for pharma companies.
—Jason Mast Reprints, STAT, 28 June 2023
The researchers used records from Canada’s national health registry to track people who had received the BCG vaccine as children in the 1970s.
—Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2023
Scientists in California recently reported that the healthcare workers who received the BCG vaccine in the past were less likely to contract COVID-19.
—Kate Baggaley, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2020
In 1924 a large clinical trial of more than 5,000 French children showed that the BCG vaccine had 93 percent efficacy in preventing death in the first year of life.
—Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2023
The BCG vaccine was created in the early 20th Century to prevent tuberculosis and is given to more than 100 million children around the world every year.
—Kate Baggaley, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2020
More than 300,000 newborns in North Korea receive the BCG vaccine each year, Islam says.
—Richard Stone, Science | AAAS, 14 Dec. 2020
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Word History
Etymology
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (an attenuated strain of tubercle bacilli), from Albert Calmette †1933 and Camille Guérin †1961 French bacteriologists
First Known Use
1925, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near BCG vaccine
Cite this Entry
“BCG vaccine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/BCG%20vaccine. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
Medical Definition
BCG vaccine
noun
: a vaccine prepared from a living attenuated strain of tubercle bacilli and used to vaccinate human beings against tuberculosis
More from Merriam-Webster on BCG vaccine
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about BCG vaccine
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