Amazing what you find out at fireworks parties. A medic friend of mine popped up with this brilliant fact and I thought I’d share it with you.
The BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) vaccine against tuberculosis can also give protection against leprosy (and some studies suggest it may even be more effective against leprosy in some populations).
This is because the bacteria that cause both diseases are very closely related – both in the Mycobacterium genus. Once the body’s immune system is galvanised against one, it will recognise and attack the other.
