This is also a problem with humans. In Europe, especially the former Soviet
Union, a preventative vaccination called BCG (I hope that is right and not
the initials for some cow-y thing) is frequently given to people in areas
where TB is prevalent.
We saw one Russian refugee have a massive reaction to the TB skin test at a
health department here. He could have lost his arm if the reaction had
gotten worse. That was when I started translating health records from there
and discovered the BCG.
Our regional health department head knew enough to ask me if I saw that and
I found it. The local people knew nothing about BCG and just assumed they
had a full-blown terrible case. When I was able to show them the BCG
listed, they stopped the whole show they were putting place to treat,
medications which are hard on people's livers. All future Soviet refugees
were asked if they had been given BCG before any skin testing was done.
So vaccination programs can really mess up testing programs, assessment of
actual danger and how wide-spread a disease (in animals, too) is, and
treatment protocol.
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