Renewed Debate Over Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine
Aโฃ government advisory panel is revisiting the long-standing advice for a hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth,โค sparkingโฃ controversy โฃand โcriticism from medical professionals. The debateโค centers โฃon whether the worldwide birth dose remains necessary, with โคsome committee members โคquestioning its continued implementation.
The discussion echoesโ past concerns,with Dr. jason M.Goldman, president of the Americanโ College of Physicians, labeling theโ proceedings as โฃ”political theater,” suggesting theโค review is โคdrivenโ by individualsโฃ hesitant about vaccination. While some on โthe committee argue that previous โsafety studies were insufficient and larger trials couldโ reveal potential issuesโ with theโข birth dose, others, like Dr. Joseph โขHibbeln and Dr.Cody โMeissner, maintain thereS no documented evidence of harm and โขthe concerns are merely “speculation.”
Hepatitis B is aโข potentially serious liver infection. While typically short-lived in adults, it can become chronic in infantsโค and children, leading to severe complicationsโ like liver failure, cancer, and cirrhosis. The virus โis commonly spread through sexual contactโฃ or shared needles,โฃ but can โฃalso be transmitted from mother to baby, โwith up to 90% of infected infants developing chronic infections.
The current recommendation, in place as 1991, has demonstrably โreduced โคthe incidence โคof hepatitis B in children,โค dropping cases from approximately โค18,000โ annually to โฃaround 2,200. However, members of the current committee have expressed โคdiscomfort with the practice of vaccinating all newborns.
The meeting โfeatured presentationsโ from individuals with ties to anti-vaccine advocacy.โข Cynthia Nevison, โanโฃ autism and โenvironmental researcher who has published โคopinion โขpieces with Children’s โHealth Defense (an organization previously led by committeeโ chair Robert F.โ Kennedyโฃ jr.), โฃpresented her research. A 2021 article โขshe co-authored in the Journalโ of Autism and โคDevelopmental Disorders was later retracted due to methodologicalโ concerns and undisclosed connections to anti-vaccine groups. mark Blaxill, alsoโฃ a co-author of the retracted paper, also spokeโ on vaccine safety.
Notablyโ absent from the agenda were presentations from scientists โขwith the Centers for Disease โขControlโฃ and Preventionโ (CDC) who typically provide data โคonโค vaccine-preventable diseases and safety assessments.Instead, the meeting โขfocused on a prolonged discussionโค of theories largelyโ dismissed by the scientific community.
The committee is โฃchaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,a โฃlawyer,and features Aaron siri,another lawyer involved in vaccine litigation,who is scheduled toโ present on the โU.S. immunization โคschedule. The proceedings have drawn criticism โfromโ outside the committee,โฃ with U.S. Senatorโ Billโข Cassidy, a physician, stating on social media that the ACIP is “totally discredited” and โฃ”not protecting children.”
Currently,โข guidelines recommend a hepatitis B vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth for medically stable โคinfants โweighing at โคleast 4.4โ pounds, followed by additional doses โat one and sixโฃ months. theโ committee is expected to vote on a proposal that would shift the startโ of the vaccination series to two months ofโ age if โขa family declines the birth dose.
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