An MP described her anxiety as her baby became one of thousands in London hit by an NHS shortage of the vaccine against tuberculosis.
Tulip Siddiq was offered an “out-of-date” dose of the BCG vaccine by doctors trying to eke out their last supplies of the jab that is recommended for all babies.
She accepted after being assured it would be safe and effective — but she warned that thousands of parents in the capital are being refused vaccinations for their children unless they live in the highest-risk areas.
Siddiq, shadow minister for early years and Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, called for urgent government action to increase supplies or risk a rise in TB in London.
She told the Standard: “When my daughter Azalea was four weeks old, I received a letter saying that because I live in an area of high risk I should get her vaccinated. My health visitor said the same.
“When I tried to make an appointment I was told they were running out due to a global shortage but I could have a dose from an expired batch.
“I really felt uncomfortable giving my baby an expired vaccination but they gave me a letter assuring me it was safe. Later a lot of mothers on the West Hampstead Mums Facebook page told me I was one of the lucky ones as they had not been able to get their babies vaccinated at all.”
Azalea, now seven months old, is in good health, but the vaccine shortage has worsened and Public Health England confirmed current supplies are being reserved for high-risk cases.
Other parents have come forward to tell of their ordeals caused by the shortage. Mother Promise Knight described as “frightening” the three-month wait until her baby daughter Elizabeth was given a jab. “Being a first-time mother, to be told your child has to go without this crucial vaccine at such an early stage in life leaves one feeling so exposed and vulnerable,” she said.
Knight, who set up the Promise Foundation, lives in Brent — which, official figures show, has more than twice the London-wide rate of infection, with 63 cases per 1,000 people.
TB is a bacterial infection, spread mainly by coughs and sneezes, that damages the lungs but can also affect kidneys, joints and bones. Last week, the London Assembly health committee called for all children in the capital to be vaccinated after a drug-resistant strain was detected in the capital. Yet only 24 out of 32 boroughs currently offer the jab, as the official vaccine ran out in September.
Private clinics revealed that demand has surged. Siddiq said one young mother told her she paid £350 for a private jab.
Public Health England said: “We have an interim supply of a BCG vaccine from a different manufacturer and plan to secure more.”
