Vaccination: There is only one vaccine—known as BCG. It prevents severe TB in children but does little for adolescents and adults. At best, the vaccination gives protection for about 15 years. BCG only protects those who are uninfected; it does not benefit people who are already infected.

Next, in 1921, French scientists created a vaccine against TB. Named after the scientists who discovered it, BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) remains the only available vaccine against the disease.