"A federal vaccine advisory committee voted on Friday to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they're born. A loud chorus of medical and public health leaders decried the actions of the panel, whose current members were all appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - a leading anti-vaccine activist before this year becoming the nation's top health official."
"But Kennedy's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive, and in cases where the mom wasn't tested. For other babies, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate. The committee voted to suggest that when a family decides not to get a birth dose, then the vaccination series should begin when the child is 2 months old."
""This is the group that can't shoot straight," said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert who for decades has been involved with ACIP and its workgroups. For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of illnesses."
A federal vaccine advisory committee voted to end the long-standing recommendation that all U.S. infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, replacing universal guidance with a targeted approach. The committee recommended the birth dose only for infants of mothers who test positive and in cases where the mother was not tested. For other infants, the choice will be left to parents and clinicians, with a suggestion that the vaccination series begin at two months if the birth dose is declined. The vote passed 8-3 and drew sharp criticism from many medical and public health leaders. The acting CDC director will decide whether to accept the recommendation.
Read at The Mercury News
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