CDC vaccine advisors decide against delaying hepatitis B shots for babies

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not expected to change recommendations for hepatitis B vaccines in newborns, after its panel of advisers tabled Friday a much-awaited vote on the issue.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not expected to change recommendations for hepatitis B vaccines in newborns, after its panel of advisers tabled Friday a much-awaited vote on the issue.

The panel had been expected to recommend delaying the use of the vaccine in babies, currently administered shortly after birth, but some members expressed frustration over a lack of evidence about side effects and said more discussion was needed. One member also said the voting language wasn’t clear and could lead to confusing guidance.

The unorthodox decision follows a chaotic, unconventional voting process for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), whose 12 members were all appointed under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the last few months. Many have expressed skepticism about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

The members were due to vote Friday on whether to delay the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine until a child is at least 1 month old, provided the mother tests negative for the virus. Currently, the first dose is given within 24 hours of birth because hepatitis B — an incurable infection that can lead to liver disease, cancer and death — can be transmitted from mother to child during delivery.

The hepatitis B vaccine has become a target of Republican legislators, including Rand Paul of Kentucky, who question the medical necessity of protecting newborns if their mothers have tested negative for the virus.