The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine is of great risks to HIV-infected infants, Tanzanian local daily the Guardian reported on Thursday.

Through its research published in the International Public Health journal, the WHO noted that HIV-infected infants risked contracting a deadly form of tuberculosis from the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine instead of receiving protection against the disease, the report quoted a WHO statement issued on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam as saying.

The statement noted that while the BCG vaccine is given to approximately 75 percent of newborn babies worldwide, a South African study has found that its harm may outweigh the benefits for HIV-infected infants.

The study had recommended delaying vaccination until the infant's HIV status was known, it added.

There is an urgent need to assess the risk versus benefits of this vaccine in settings where both HIV infection and tuberculosis burdens are high, according to Simon Schaaf, co-author of the research from the Desmond Tutu TB Center at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

WHO created the journal as a forum for public health experts to publish their findings, express their views and engage a wider audience on critical current public health issues.