Overview
- An 8–3 ACIP vote recommends keeping the immediate birth dose only for infants of mothers who test positive or whose status is unknown, with shared decision-making and no first dose before two months for others.
- The recommendation is not in effect until acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill signs it, a step the agency has not taken as of Tuesday.
- State health agencies in Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan and New Hampshire are urging hospitals to continue universal newborn vaccination, with Colorado preparing emergency rulemaking and regional officials forming the Northeast Public Health Collaborative.
- Major medical groups including the AAP, AMA, ACOG and ASTHO warn the change could raise infection risks and sow confusion, pointing to decades of data showing a roughly 95–99% drop in pediatric hepatitis B after adoption of the birth dose.
- Program liaisons report Medicaid and the Vaccines for Children program will continue to cover newborn vaccination, and some states say school and child care requirements are unchanged despite the panel vote.