SA Tuberculosis services in CALHN

SA Tuberculosis services (SA TB services) in Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) provides State-wide and regional services for tuberculosis patients living in the CALHN area as well as patients referred from rural and remote areas.

SA TB services resources

Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination

A BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin) vaccine is available for Tuberculosis (TB) but it is not part of the routine childhood immunisation program. The vaccine does not prevent TB infection but can protect against severe forms of tuberculosis. When given to infants and young children, it minimises the risk of death, meningitis, and disseminated TB. 

Requesting vaccination

BCG vaccine is only provided through the SATB service. All patients requiring a tuberculin skin test or BCG vaccination will need to be referred to the Adelaide Chest Clinic. 

The vaccine that is currently available in Australia is not registered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Please read both of the BCG fact sheets below before requesting a BCG vaccination.

We will contact you within 15 working days of your request. You will need to allow several weeks for your appointment. The BCG vaccine should be given 3 months prior to travel.

Assessment

In South Australia, the BCG vaccine is recommended for children 5 years of age and under who:

  • have prolonged or frequent travel to high TB prevalence countries.
  • are born to parents with leprosy or a family history of leprosy.

A high TB incidence country is defined in the Australian Immunisation Handbook as a country with an incidence rate of greater than 40 cases of active TB per 100,000 population per year, as per the World Health Organisation Global TB Report.

BCG is no longer routinely recommended for health workers but may be considered for those who are at high risk of exposure to multi-drug resistant TB cases.

Management

Children older than 6 months will need a tuberculin skin test (TST) prior to vaccination. The tuberculin skin test should be delayed until 4 weeks after any injected live vaccine.

BCG is a live vaccine and must be given on either the same day or 4 weeks before or after other injectable live vaccines (for example Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), yellow fever, Varicella (chicken pox), or shingles).

Access to TB Services

Access to TB services within the SA public health system is available to all patients, regardless of:

  • Medicare eligibility
  • Citizenship
  • Residential Status
  • Visa status
  • Health insurance status, or
  • Whether or not a patient has a referral from a health care provider.

Costs

All inpatient and outpatient services within the SA public health system (such as pathology, radiology, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals) related to the screening, care and management of people with suspected, active or latent TB, and their actual or suspected contacts are provided with no ‘out of pocket’ expense to patients.

Fact sheets

Contact

Chest Clinic, SA TB services, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA
Telephone: (08) 7117 2967
Email: health.rahthoracicmedicine@sa.gov.au