Federal Panel Shifts Hepatitis B Vaccination Guidance for Newborns
WASHINGTON – A federal advisory committee has recommended scaling back universal hepatitisโ B vaccination for newborns in the United states,โ a moveโ that reverses decades of established prevention policy. The change, driven by a directive from the Biden administration, would limit routine first doses of theโค vaccine too infants born to mothers knownโค to carry the virus.
For over โ30โข years, the standard practice has been โto administer โthe first of a three-dose hepatitis B vaccine seriesโฃ within hours of birth. โThe updated proposal,โ issued byโฃ aโ committee significantly reshaped by Healthโข and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, now suggests parents of โคnewborns whose mothers test negative for the virus should consultโ with healthcare providers to โdetermine ifโค and when vaccination is โappropriate. This shift impacts all newborns in the U.S.,โ potentially increasing their risk of infection, and signals a broader re-evaluation of longstanding vaccination protocols.
The โฃadvisory panel’s decision promptly drew sharp criticism from medical organizations.Susan โKressly, president of the Americanโ Academy of Pediatrics, labeled the directive “irresponsible and deliberately misleading,” warning it “will lead to an increase in hepatitis B infections โin infants and children.”
Threeโฃ committee members formally dissented, citing a lack of justification for โthe change. “Do no harm is a moralโค imperative,” stated Dr. Cody Meissner before the vote.โฃ “By changing โthe wording of this recommendation, we areโฃ causing โขharm.” The committee’s composition โhas undergone considerable changes following appointments by Secretary Becerra.
