"On Friday, the CDC's panel of vaccine advisors voted to throw out the universal recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of birth. Instead, the committee voted that only infants of mothers who test positive for the infection, or whose status is unknown, receive the shot immediately. Mothers who test negative should talk to their providers and decide themselves about whether to vaccinate their child, but the panel's verbiage recommends that they receive it no earlier than 2 months of age."
"Hepatitis B is a viral infection that can lead to lifelong and even deadly liver conditions, including cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure. The virus spreads via some bodily fluids, including during birth, though other close caregivers can also expose children to the virus unknowingly - the U.S. does not currently screen the general population for hepatitis B, and only 25% of infected people are ever diagnosed. The vaccine also provides protection against hepatitis B well into adulthood, preventing later exposure."
The CDC panel of vaccine advisors voted 8-3 to remove the universal recommendation that all newborns receive hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of birth. The panel recommended immediate vaccination only for infants whose mothers test positive or whose maternal status is unknown. Infants of mothers who test negative should consult providers and may receive the vaccine no earlier than two months of age. The same selective-coverage approach was tried years earlier and failed. Hepatitis B can cause lifelong liver disease, spreads via bodily fluids including at birth, and leads to chronic infection in up to 90% of infants infected at birth.
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