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8h ago

CDC Advisory Panel Votes to Drop Universal Hepatitis B Shot at Birth

Final adoption still requires approval from acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 4: Dr. Robert Malone, center left, speaks during a meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at CDC Headquarters on December 4, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. The ACIP is meeting to vote on changes to the childhood vaccination schedule and delay hepatitis B shots. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
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Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by an extremely infectious virus.
The recommendations of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now go to the agency's acting director for approval.

Overview

  • On Dec. 5, the ACIP voted 8–3 to end the universal newborn hepatitis B dose, limiting the at‑birth shot to infants of mothers who are hepatitis B–positive or whose status is unknown and moving others to shared decision‑making that can delay the first dose to at least 2 months.
  • The recommendation has not taken effect because it awaits sign‑off by acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill.
  • The reconstituted committee was appointed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; President Trump praised the vote and directed a fast‑tracked review of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule.
  • Medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics denounced the change as not evidence‑based, while states such as Connecticut and Illinois reaffirmed guidance to vaccinate all newborns within 24 hours of birth.
  • Public‑health experts warn delays could lead to preventable infections, with one model estimating about 99,000 additional cases, and the panel separately endorsed exploring antibody testing to evaluate the standard three‑dose series.