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US vaccine panel votes to end universal hepatitis B vaccination for newborns
A US panel of vaccine advisers has voted to end the longstanding recommendation for vaccinations against the hepatitis B virus (HBV) right after birth.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (Acip) voted 8-3 to back "individual-based decision-making" on whether to vaccinate babies born to mothers who have tested negative for the liver infection.
In June, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic, fired all the members of the Acip and replaced them with others who are critical of vaccines.
The US has recommended vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B since 1991, and data suggests that since then, the shots have prevented an estimated 90,000 deaths.
Not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birth, US vaccine advisers say
For decades, the US government advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. (ABC News)
Committee members say the risk of hepatitis B infection for most babies is very low and that earlier research that found the vaccines were safe for infants was inadequate.
However, several medical societies and state health departments say they will continue to recommend them.
For babies of hepatitis B-negative mothers, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate.
A federal vaccine advisory committee has voted to end the longstanding recommendation that all US babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they are born.
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Fact-checking the CDC panel's reasons for dropping universal newborn hepatitis B vaccine recommendation
Since roughly 1991, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended all babies get a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The CDC committee that helps set vaccine policy voted Dec. 5 to overturn that decadeslong policy.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ new recommendations say mothers who tested negative for hepatitis B should discuss the need for the vaccine with their doctors. For babies who do not receive a birth dose, the committee suggested the initial vaccine dose be given “no earlier than 2 months of age.”
WATCH: RFK-appointed CDC panel drops hepatitis B vaccine at birth recommendation
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