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1h ago

CDC Vaccine Advisers Table Hepatitis B Birth-Dose Change, Keep Current Guidance

The outcome preserves the birth-dose guidance, reflecting unresolved questions over evidence review.

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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., looks on as he attends to testify before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Donald Trump's 2026 health care agenda, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/ File Photo
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) attends a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing with former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez (not pictured), who was ousted after resisting changes to vaccine policy that were advanced by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and that she believed contradicted scientific evidence, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
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Overview

  • ACIP voted 11–1 to postpone a decision on delaying the newborn hepatitis B shot, leaving the recommendation to vaccinate within 24 hours of birth in place.
  • The committee separately voted 12–0 to recommend universal hepatitis B testing for all pregnant women.
  • The shelved proposal would have delayed the first dose to at least one month for infants of mothers who test negative, a threshold several members questioned.
  • CDC presenters and many outside experts said there is no evidence of benefit to waiting and warned delay could raise infection risk; manufacturers and medical groups urged retaining the birth dose.
  • The Kennedy-reconstituted panel drew criticism over process and wording, set no timetable to revisit the issue, noted its next meeting is Oct. 22–23, and also moved to restrict the MMRV combo for under-4s with VFC coverage aligned.