US Trends

is there a vaccine for tuberculosis

Yes, there is a vaccine for tuberculosis, but it has important limitations and newer TB vaccines are still in development and not yet widely available or approved as of 2025–2026.

Quick Scoop

  • There is a TB vaccine called BCG that has been used for over 100 years.
  • BCG mainly protects young children from the most severe forms of TB (like TB meningitis), but it does not reliably prevent adult lung TB, which is the most common and contagious form.
  • Because of those limits, several new TB vaccines are in advanced clinical trials, but they are not yet generally available to the public.
  • If everything goes well, experts hope at least one new TB vaccine could start reaching high‑burden countries in the early 2030s.

So… is there a vaccine for tuberculosis?

The short answer

  • Yes: the BCG vaccine (Bacille Calmette‑Guérin) is the only licensed TB vaccine in routine use today.
  • No “perfect” vaccine yet: BCG does not fully stop TB transmission in adults, which is why TB is still one of the top infectious killers worldwide.

Health agencies like the CDC clearly state that BCG is a TB vaccine, but it is not generally used in the United States because TB rates are low there and its ability to prevent adult pulmonary TB is limited.

What is the BCG vaccine and how well does it work?

  • BCG is a live, weakened form of a relative of the TB bacterium and has been used since the 1920s.
  • It is routinely given at birth or in early childhood in many countries with higher TB rates.
  • Strongest benefit: protecting young children from severe, life‑threatening TB forms such as TB meningitis and disseminated TB.
  • Weakest point: its protection against adult lung TB is variable and often modest, especially in regions where TB exposure is frequent.

That’s why, even after billions of doses and 100+ years, TB remains a major global health problem.

What’s new: next‑generation TB vaccines

Because BCG is not enough, a “pipeline” of new vaccine candidates is being tested.

Leading candidates (in trials, not yet routine)

  • M72/AS01E
    • A protein‑based vaccine that, in a phase 2b trial, cut the risk of active pulmonary TB by about 50% in people with latent TB infection over 3 years.
* Now in a large phase 3 trial with up to 20,000 participants across several African and Asian countries.
  • VPM1002 (recombinant BCG)
    • A genetically modified BCG designed to trigger a stronger immune response.
* In advanced (phase 3) trials as a potential replacement or booster for BCG.
  • MTBVAC
    • A live, attenuated strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis itself, engineered to be safe but more “authentic” to the real bacterium than BCG.
* Being tested in adolescents and adults to prevent pulmonary TB; phase 2 and 3 trials are ongoing.
  • Other candidates (like H56:IC31 , ID93/GLA‑SE , GamTBvac , DAR‑901 , and Vaccae) are in different trial phases, mostly as boosters or adjuncts to treatment rather than full replacements for BCG.

When might new vaccines arrive?

A major global health foundation estimates that, if current trials succeed, at least one new TB vaccine could start reaching affected communities in the early 2030s , but this depends on successful trials, regulatory approval, funding, and rollout plans.

Why isn’t the TB vaccine used everywhere?

BCG policy varies by country:

  • In many high‑TB‑burden countries , BCG is given to almost all newborns as part of routine immunization.
  • In low‑burden countries like the U.S., BCG is usually not given to the general public; instead, TB control focuses on testing, treating latent infection, and managing active cases.

Reasons include:

  • Limited impact on adult pulmonary TB, which drives transmission.
  • BCG can complicate interpretation of traditional skin tests for TB infection.
  • Lower TB rates in some countries make mass vaccination less cost‑effective than targeted screening and treatment strategies.

Forum‑style perspective: why this is a “trending topic”

“How is it that in 2026 we still don’t have a really effective TB vaccine when BCG is more than 100 years old?”

This frustration shows up often in public discussions because:

  • TB still kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, mainly in low‑income countries.
  • COVID‑19 vaccines were developed quickly, so people ask why TB vaccines are lagging.
  • Scientifically, TB is a much trickier target: the bacterium can hide inside cells and persist for years, and our immune system’s protective responses against TB are more complex and less well understood.

Global health groups now describe a potential “golden era” of TB vaccines, but stress that countries must prepare early—politically and financially—to deploy them quickly once they are proven.

Key takeaways (TL;DR)

  • Yes , there is a TB vaccine: BCG. It mainly protects children from severe TB and is widely used in many countries.
  • No , we do not yet have a fully effective, widely available vaccine that reliably prevents adult lung TB, which is the main driver of transmission.
  • Several promising new vaccines (like M72/AS01E, VPM1002, MTBVAC) are in advanced clinical trials but are not yet licensed for general public use.
  • If trials succeed and funding and rollout plans keep pace, at least one new TB vaccine could start reaching high‑burden countries in the early 2030s.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.