01554nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653001600080653001600096653001000112653002100122653001100143653001100154653002800165653001200193653000900205100001300214700001600227700000900243700001800252245006300270300001100333490000600344050001500350520086100365022001401226       2006                            d  c2006 Mar10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAge Factors10aBCG Vaccine10aChild10aChild, Preschool10aFemale10aHumans10aImmunization, Secondary10aleprosy10aMale1 aSetia MS1 aSteinmaus C1 aHo C1 aRutherford GW00aThe role of BCG in prevention of leprosy: a meta-analysis.  a162-700 v6  aSETIA 20063 a<p>The present meta-analysis investigates the role of BCG-a widely used yet controversial vaccine-in the prevention of leprosy. The electronic databases Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and LILACS were searched to identify studies assessing the protective effect of BCG against leprosy. We included seven experimental studies and 19 observational studies. The experimental studies demonstrated an overall protective effect of 26% (95% CI 14-37%). At 61% (95% CI 51-70%), the observational studies overestimated the protective effect. The age at vaccination did not predict the protective effect of BCG. An additional dose of BCG was more protective in the prevention of leprosy compared with a single dose. An additional dose of BCG may be warranted for contacts of leprosy patients in areas where leprosy continues to be a public-health problem.</p>  a1473-3099