Overview
- The reconstituted federal committee met to consider postponing the routine hepatitis B dose given on the first day of life, with no policy change announced.
- Current U.S. practice starts a three-dose series at birth to guard against perinatal transmission and early household exposures.
- CDC data show acute hepatitis B among children and teens fell 99% from 1990 to 2019 after universal vaccination was recommended.
- The vaccine prevents about 98% of infections in healthy infants, and reported side effects are typically mild and temporary.
- Clinicians report more parental refusals of the newborn shot even as overall infant coverage remains steady, and gaps in prenatal screening leave some babies at risk.