Overview
- ACIP, recently reconstituted, voted to stop recommending a routine hepatitis B shot at birth and to rely on shared decision-making instead.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics and multiple state and local health departments said they will not follow the revised guidance and will maintain universal newborn vaccination.
- Experts criticized the panel as politically influenced, with Michael T. Osterholm urging clinicians to ignore guidance that disregards evidence.
- IDSA’s Ronald G. Nahass said a coordinated national effort is under way to counter confusion and to preserve the birth-dose in practice.
- The CDC director has not finalized the change, while hospitals, insurers, and several states continue coverage as modeling warns delays could add roughly 1,400 infant infections and later increases in liver disease.