U.S. vaccine expert panel votes to end neonatal hepatitis B vaccination

A U.S. vaccine advisory panel has voted to end long-standing recommendations for hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination immediately after birth.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (Acip) voted 8-3 in favor of “individual-based decision-making” on whether to vaccinate babies born to mothers who test negative for liver infection.

In June, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine skeptic, fired all members of Acip and replaced them with other vaccine critics.

The United States has recommended that newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B since 1991, and Data shows Since then, these shootings have prevented approximately 90,000 deaths.

Hours after the decision, President Donald Trump ordered his top health officials to review all U.S. childhood vaccination recommendations.

In a White House memo, he asked them to “review the best practices of their counterparts in developed countries to develop core childhood vaccination recommendations.” If they find that other countries’ approaches are superior, then Trump will direct them to change the U.S. timeline.

He noted in the memo that some other countries have recommended reducing immunizations for children.

Trump also praised the advisory committee’s decision on Friday in a social media post, calling it “very good.”

Acip is responsible for making recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on when and who should receive the vaccine. The acting CDC director has final sign-off authority on recommendations.

The new guidance also recommends that babies who have not received a birth dose of vaccine should receive an initial dose “no earlier than two months of age,” but some members of the group oppose that recommendation.

Public health experts worry the vote could stoke unfounded safety concerns about the vaccine and encourage some people to opt out, leading to more illness.

Some members of the Acip group share those concerns.

“The recommendations for the hepatitis B vaccine have been very clear,” Dr. Cody Meissner said before casting his no vote.

“We know it’s safe, we know it’s highly effective. To make the changes proposed, we will see more children, adolescents and adults becoming infected with hepatitis B.”

The panel continues to recommend that infants born to mothers who test positive for hepatitis B receive a birth dose of vaccine. The move is not expected to affect insurance coverage for the lens.

Hepatitis B is a liver infection that is spread through direct contact with body fluids and can lead to dangerous liver diseases, including cancer, liver failure, and cirrhosis.

Pregnant women with hepatitis B can also spread the virus to their newborns during delivery, which can lead to chronic infection that can damage the liver.

People infected with the hepatitis B virus do not always have symptoms, which means they may not even know they have the virus and may spread it while caring for children and infants.

Friday’s decision came after two days of intense meetings on the issue, following Acip’s decision to twice delay a vote on a hepatitis B vaccine.

On Friday, several members of the panel expressed their opposition to the new guidance, specifically the recommendation to give the vaccine at two months of age.

Dr. Joseph Schiebeln said there were “serious problems” with the vote selection, while Dr. Meissner said members were acting on “unfounded suspicion.”

Retsef Levi, a committee member who supported the change, said the U.S.’s hepatitis B vaccine policy was “out of step” with the rest of the world.

The World Health Organization recommends that children be vaccinated against hepatitis B at 0, 1, and 6 months of age.

In the UK, vaccination is recommended at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age unless the mother tests positive for the virus.

During hours of meetings on Thursday and Friday, the committee heard from several doctors, including many who have criticized the panel for considering ending recommendations for universal vaccination.

Committee members who voted in favor of the new recommendations argued that the risk of contracting the virus is low and that vaccines should be tailored to individual patients.

Critics of the birth dose argue that babies should be vaccinated as newborns only if their mother tests positive for the virus.

But doctors say this puts some babies at risk because not all pregnant women can be reliably tested, and others may receive false negative tests for hepatitis B.

Kennedy and his allies have questioned the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine, which they believe is spread primarily through sexual contact and shared needles.

However, research shows it can also be spread through indirect contact, such as sharing toothbrushes and razors.

Kennedy has made a number of changes to U.S. vaccine policy since taking office.

Acip’s decision to revisit the vaccine recommendations drew the ire of Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who cast the deciding vote to confirm Kennedy as health secretary despite concerns about his previous stance on vaccines.

“As a liver doctor who has treated hepatitis B patients for decades, this change to the vaccination schedule is a mistake,” Cassidy said in a statement.

“Hepatitis B vaccine is safe and effective. The birth dose is a recommendation, not a requirement.”

In response to the committee vote, the Maryland health department issued an advisory on Friday, citing recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, urging health care providers and hospitals to continue offering hepatitis B vaccine at birth and saying it was working to ensure all infants and children in the state have access to the vaccine.