CDC advisers may end newborn hepatitis B vaccine mandate after decades of success
CDC advisers could reverse newborn hepatitis B vaccine recommendations near me
A group of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to vote on whether the agency should scrap its long-standing recommendation that every baby get a hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of birth near me
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet this week to decide on the future of newborn hepatitis B vaccinations near me. The vote follows months of debate and a previous delay in September due to confusion among members. A key figure in the discussion, the committee’s new chair, has already raised concerns about vaccine safety in other areas, including covid vaccine near me.
The two-day meeting, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will also review research on aluminium adjuvants in vaccines. Recent findings suggest no connection between these adjuvants and 50 chronic health conditions.
The hepatitis B vaccine has been routinely given to newborns in the U.S. since the early 1990s. Its introduction led to a 99% drop in acute hepatitis B infections among children. Studies reviewing over 400 reports found no evidence of short- or long-term harm from the birth dose, while crediting it with preventing 6 million infections and nearly 1 million hospitalisations near me.
Despite this, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist and the newly appointed ACIP chair, has questioned the safety of administering the vaccine within 24 hours of birth. He highlighted potential risks such as neonatal fever and unnecessary medical interventions. Milhoan has also expressed doubts about other vaccines, including covid jabs, pointing to a small but increased risk of myocarditis in young men.
The meeting’s agenda does not specify who will present the latest data or outline the exact wording of the vote. This lack of clarity mirrors the confusion that led to the issue being tabled in September. Alongside the hepatitis B discussion, the committee will examine a recent study on aluminium adjuvants, which found no link to chronic illnesses.
Meanwhile, Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s vaccine chief, recently claimed in a memo that at least 10 children died 'after and because of' covid vaccines, potentially due to myocarditis. No supporting evidence was provided for this assertion. The new ACIP chair, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been a committee member since June 2021 and replaces Dr. Martin Kuldorff in the role.
The ACIP vote will determine whether newborns continue to receive the hepatitis B vaccine within their first day of life. The decision comes amid ongoing scrutiny of vaccine safety, including debates over rare side effects and the use of adjuvants. The outcome will shape U.S. immunisation policies for years to come near me.
