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5d ago

Rebuilt CDC Vaccine Panel Votes to End Universal Hepatitis B Shot at Birth

The move still requires CDC sign-off, with medical societies and numerous states maintaining the birth‑dose standard.

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

  • ACIP voted 8–3 to recommend giving the birth dose only when a mother tests positive for hepatitis B or her status is unknown, urging shared decision‑making and starting at two months for infants of hepatitis B–negative mothers.
  • The advisory group was reconstituted this year by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he dismissed the prior membership, a shift critics say politicized vaccine guidance.
  • President Donald Trump praised the decision and directed a fast‑tracked review comparing the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with other developed countries.
  • Leading medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, condemned the change as unsupported by new safety data and warned it will increase pediatric infections.
  • The recommendation is not final until adopted by the CDC’s acting director, and at least 12 states say they will continue supporting the universal birth dose, preserving coverage and practice in many settings.