Federal Vaccine Advisory Committee Delays Decision on Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns
A federal vaccine advisory committee has voted to delay a decision on whether newborns should still receive the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they are born. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, meeting in Atlanta, made this decision after committee members expressed confusion about voting language and concerns about taking such a step.
For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of illnesses. However, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s committee is considering whether to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive, which would mark a return to a public health strategy that was abandoned more than three decades ago.
Background and Context
The hepatitis B vaccine has been a crucial tool in preventing the spread of the liver infection, which can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, and scarring called cirrhosis. In 1991, the committee recommended an initial dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth, and over the past 30 years, cases among children have fallen significantly, from about 18,000 per year to about 2,200.
However, some committee members have voiced discomfort with vaccinating all newborns, citing concerns about the safety and necessity of the birth dose. The committee’s decision to delay the vote has sparked criticism from medical groups, who argue that the changes are not based on good evidence and may put children’s health at risk.
Controversy and Criticism
The committee’s decision has been met with criticism from several doctors’ groups, who argue that the changes are not based on good evidence and may put children’s health at risk. Dr. Jason M. Goldman, president of the American College of Physicians, commented during the meeting, calling it “political theater” and adding that “you are basing this on concerns of individuals who don’t want the vaccine.”
Some committee members have argued that safety studies in the past were limited, and it’s possible that larger additional studies could uncover a problem with the birth dose. However, two other committee members, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln and Dr. Cody Meissner, saw no documented evidence of harm from the birth doses and wondered whether the concern behind the discussion is just “speculation.”
Conclusion and Next Steps
The committee is expected to vote on language that says when a family decides not to get a birth dose, then the vaccination series should begin when the child is 2 months old. The current guidance advises a dose within 24 hours of birth for all medically stable infants who weigh at least 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms), plus follow-up shots to be given at about 1 month and 6 months.
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