CDC advisers vote to overturn decades-long policy on hepatitis B vaccine for infants

"In a historic vote, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisers recommended narrowing the agency's hepatitis B immunization guidance for newborns. The result, if approved by the CDC's acting director, will be a rollback of a universal recommendation to start hepatitis B immunization at birth, a standard practice in the U.S. for more than 30 years that has been credited with dramatically lowering liver diseases caused by the virus."

"The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, voted 8-3 to recommend hepatitis B at birth only for infants born to women who test positive for the virus that attacks the liver. Women whose hepatitis B status is negative or unknown should talk with their doctors about vaccination, the recommendation says. The changes were made over the strong objections of liaisons from the medical community, who say the decades-long universal birth dose policy has dramatically reduced cases of hepatitis B in U.S. children."

"There was a second vote regarding the number of shots babies get. Full immunization of infants involves three shots: usually one given at birth, a second shot one to three months later and a third at six to 15 months of age. The panel voted 6-4, with one member abstaining, to recommend testing children's antibody levels after each hepatitis B shot to determine whether additional shots are needed. The result may be that some children get one or two shots instead of the standard three shots."

ACIP voted 8-3 to recommend hepatitis B vaccination at birth only for infants born to mothers who test positive for hepatitis B virus, ending a universal birth-dose policy used for over 30 years. Women with negative or unknown hepatitis B status should consult clinicians about vaccination. Medical liaisons objected strongly, citing the universal birth-dose policy's role in dramatically reducing pediatric hepatitis B. The panel also voted 6-4, with one abstention, to recommend measuring infants' hepatitis B antibody levels after each shot to determine if additional doses are necessary, potentially reducing some infants' total doses.

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