US advisory panel rolls back hepatitis B vaccine recommendation, says not all babies need to be vaccinated at birth | World News

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. (Photo: Unsplash)

A federal vaccine advisory committee in the US on Friday voted to end the longstanding recommendation that all babies should get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they are born.

The vaccine advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), appointed vaccine-sceptic US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, on Friday, recommended 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 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said.

The committee also suggested that when a family decides not to get a birth dose, then the vaccination series should begin when the child is 2 months old.

According to The Associated Press, the acting director of the CDC, Jim O’Neill, is expected to decide later whether to accept the committee’s recommendation.Story continues below this ad

Committee members said the risk of infection for most babies is very low and that earlier research that found the shots were safe for infants was inadequate, AP reported.

They also worried that in many cases, doctors and nurses don’t have full conversations with parents about the pros and cons of the birth-dose vaccination.

The committee members, however, voiced interest in hearing the input from public health and medical professionals, but chose to ignore the experts’ repeated pleas to leave the recommendations alone.