A WORRIED dad is calling for TB immunisation to be reinstated in schools.

Tony Winchester is concerned the Department for Health's criteria for people given the vaccine means many youngsters are missing out on vital protection.

However, South East Essex Primary Care Trust insists the chances of contracting TB are low.

Tony's daughter Antonia, 12, is at the age when children used to routinely receive the BCG vaccine for TB in schools.

However, after filling in a questionnaire on her health and family history the family received a letter saying she was not eligible.

Mr Winchester, 42, of Salisbury Avenue, Westcliff, said: "We filled out the questionnaire but made a note asking that she be given the vaccine because she is at a multi-cultural school, as are most kids nowadays, and they came back saying no.

"It seems unfair my daughter and other children of British descent are not given it when they will mix with different cultures, including people from countries with TB, and who might not have had the vaccination yet and may be carriers of it."

The Department of Health recommends the vaccine for all children living in areas where numbers of TB cases are 40 per 100,000 or greater, children whose parents or grandparents were born in a country with a high incidence, and those previously unvaccinated new immigrants from countries with a high prevalence of TB. Children who would otherwise have been offered the vaccine through the schools' programme are now screened for TB risk factors, and tested and vaccinated if appropriate.

The criteria for the vaccinations changed in 2005, but as Antonia, a pupil at Belfairs High School, Leigh, is his oldest child, Mr Winchester was not aware of the change.

He said he would be willing to pay for his four children to have the vaccination, which he had himself as a child.

He added: "I find it incredibly hard to believe TB cases are falling. In some inner cities it is rising again and yet we are no longer vaccinating all children. Surely prevention is better than cure?"

Andrea Atherton, director of public health at South East Essex Primary Care Trust , said: "The decision to introduce the new national targeted BCG programme was made by the Department of Health and based upon scientific evidence gathered over a number of years. The decision to stop the national schools- based BCG programme also brings us in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

"A high prevalence area for TB is classified as an area where there are 40 cases per 100,000 people per year.

"The rate in the South East Essex PCT area is 10.62 per 100,000, per year, compared to the UK rate of 14 per 100,000 per year."

BCG vaccination will continue to be offered to those at risk due to their occupation, such as health care workers, veterinary staff, and prison staff.