The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 8-3 on Friday to recommend eliminating the recommended schedule for administering the hepatitis B birth dose. The vote comes one day after the panel delayed a vote amid confusion over the wording of the proposed changes.
The hepatitis B vaccine provides immediate antibodies to help prevent transmission of the virus. The CDC currently recommends that nearly all newborns receive the shot as part of routine care. The ACIP is now recommending eliminating the CDC's universal recommendation of the birth dose.
Current guidance calls for a three-shot series with doses given within 24 hours of birth, at 1 to 2 months, and at 6 to 18 months.
If the CDC approves the changes recommended by the ACIP, CDC guidance would shift to “individual-based decision-making,” advising parents to first consult their health care provider before vaccinating. Vaccine advocates say such a change could delay when infants receive their first dose.
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Dr. Omer Awan, a physician and senior public health contributor for Forbes, said in an interview that universal newborn vaccination since 1991 has reduced infections among children and adolescents by 99%.
"We're going to start to see hepatitis B circulating much more commonly in the population," he said. "And more and more people will, I'm afraid, be at risk for getting this infection that quite frankly is deadly. I mean, this can cause hepatitis B can result in liver failure, even liver cancer, and ultimately death."
Common side effects from the vaccine include pain where the shot was given, headache, fever, fatigue, irritability, and vomiting. These symptoms generally last up to two days. But experts say the benefits far exceed the risks posed by the vaccine.
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“The evidence shows the side effects are mainly just a baby crying or being fussy—nothing different than typical infant vaccines. This is a very safe vaccine," he said.
If parents choose not to give the birth dose, the first dose would be administered after the infant is 2 months old.
Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed new members to the remade board after firing all 17 members of the panel. The ACIP provides the federal government with guidance on vaccines.
“This is a result of the chaos and turmoil from Secretary Kennedy handpicking 12 new members. People are losing trust in these committees and the guidance the CDC is giving," Awan said.
