Data โขaffirming the safety and efficacy of โthe current U.S. policy of worldwide hepatitis B vaccination for newborns is bolstering federal healthโข officials as they navigate calls for a policy shift, according to aโ new analysis published Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)โ and theโ American โAcademy of Pediatrics (AAP) โคare defending the decades-old โpractice amid increasing scrutiny from some physicians andโ parent groups who advocate for delaying vaccinationโฃ or โคtesting infants for infection before โadministering the shot.
The analysis, published in Pediatrics, reviewedโข decades of data and found no evidence to support altering the current approach. Maintaining universal vaccination, researchersโ concluded, remains the mostโค effective way to prevent chronic hepatitisโฃ B infection,โค liver โdisease, and liver cancer, particularly in vulnerable populations.โ The debate centers on whetherโ to move toward a “test-then-vaccinate” strategy,mirroring practices in some other โฃcountries,but experts warn such a change could lead to increased rates โof infection and disparities inโค care.
The CDCโ recommends allโค newborns receiveโ the hepatitis B โvaccine within 24 hours of birth.โ This policy, initially implemented in the early 1990s, dramatically reduced the incidence of acute and chronic hepatitis B infections in the U.S. According to CDC data, the rate of chronic hepatitis B infection among children โขdecreased fromโ 1.5% in the 1980s to less than 0.5% today.
“The data are very โฃclear: universal vaccination isโ working,” said Dr. Litjen Tan, a senior scientist at the Immunization Action Coalition, โwho was not involved in the Pediatrics analysis. “Any move awayโ from this strategy risks reversing โขthe progress we’ve โmade โฃand could disproportionatelyโ harm communities already facing health inequities.”
Concerns โabout the vaccine’s safety and necessity โฃhave been fueled byโค online misinformation andโ aโ growing “natural immunity” movement. Proponents of delaying vaccination โคargue that newborns have a low risk of infection and that testing beforeโข vaccination wouldโ avoid โขunnecessary shots.However, researchers point out โthatโ testing is not foolproof and canโฃ miss early infections. Furthermore, delaying vaccination leaves infants vulnerable during the briefโ windowโ when they are mostโค susceptible to severe illness if infected.
The AAP issued a policy statement โreaffirming its support for the current vaccination schedule. “We continue โto believe that universal hepatitisโ B vaccination is the best way to โprotect all infants from this serious disease,”โฃ said โDr.โ Flor Munoz,chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases. The CDCโฃ is expected โto address the concerns further in upcoming meetings and guidance updates, butโฃ officials have indicated they remain committed to the current โขpolicy based on the available evidence.
