Impacto de la vacuna Bacilo de Calmette - Guerín (BCG) como política preventiva en Ecuador: una revisión bibliográfica

Abstract

Introduction: Introduction: The BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine is a crucial tool in the fight against severe tuberculosis variants, especially in children in Ecuador, where the implementation of vaccination policies that include BCG have been an integral part of public health strategies since this vaccine contributes to the reduction of infant morbidity and mortality. Objective: To generate an updated review of the literature and evaluate the impact of the application of the BCG vaccine as a preventive policy in Ecuador, emphasizing its coverage, adverse effects, and limiting barriers in the implementation of these policies within the national territory. Methodology: Descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study with a mixed paradigm, in which a search was carried out in the updated literature during the months of March and April 2025, in the information search engines Google Scholar, PubMed, and Cochrane between the years 2020 and 2025 in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, including review articles and meta-analysis with free full-text features. Results: The BCG vaccine is over 85% effective and reduces mortality by up to 50% in preventing childhood tuberculosis. In Ecuador, coverage was 34.48% in 2021 and improved to 94.3% in 2024, despite persistent social barriers. Conclusions: It is necessary to strengthen education policies on the benefits of vaccines, especially in rural areas and with an emphasis on the BCG vaccine, which will prevent the development of severe tuberculosis in the population.