Overview
- The reconstituted ACIP voted 8–3 on Dec. 5 to limit the birth dose to infants of mothers who test positive or whose status is unknown, advising deferral until at least two months for infants of mothers who test negative.
- Major medical groups and health departments—including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Wisconsin DHS, Arizona’s health department, Allegheny County, and Marin County—say they will continue recommending the birth dose for all newborns, with Marin launching a new resource hub.
- Public health leaders are urging the CDC’s acting director, Jim O’Neill, not to adopt the ACIP change, noting the long-standing policy drove a roughly 99% decline in pediatric hepatitis B in the U.S.
- Coverage and access remain intact for now, with the Vaccines for Children program and private insurers indicating continued coverage of the hepatitis B birth dose, though officials report growing parental confusion.
- Critics fault the ACIP process under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., citing limited CDC expert input and non–vaccine specialists on the agenda, while clinicians warn models project more infant infections and future liver disease if the birth dose is delayed.