Hepatitis B birth-dose: An independent review by vaccine experts found that the long-standing US policy of vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B has reduced infections in children by more than 95%, based on an assessment of over 400 studies and reports.
The policy, in place since 1991, is expected to be discussed and voted on later this week by CDC vaccine advisers appointed by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The review was issued by the Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative formed to support evidence-based vaccine policy and to counter recommendations it says lack scientific data.
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“After extensive review, we did not discover safety or effectiveness data that support delaying the choice parents have to vaccinate their newborns against hepatitis B,” said Michael Osterholm, an infectious-disease expert at the University of Minnesota who helped found the project. Osterholm said the evidence clearly supports maintaining the current approach.
The advisory panel has undergone major changes since Kennedy removed its previous members. In September, the revamped group postponed a vote on whether to delay the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose. Since then, President Donald Trump and other officials have argued the first dose could be delayed until as late as age 12, citing the virus’s association with sexual transmission.
Health experts behind the review countered that hepatitis B can spread through blood, semen and other body fluids, and that early protection remains critical. Infants infected during their first year of life face a high risk of chronic infection, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. A 2024 CDC analysis reviewed by the project found that vaccinating newborns prevented more than 6 million infections and nearly 1 million hepatitis B-related hospitalisations among children born between 1994 and 2023.
Tony Fiore, a former CDC vaccine expert, warned that delaying the birth dose could increase the risk of transmission from an infected parent or caregiver and said he believes the panel may still move to change the policy.