CDC move to stop recommending hepatitis B vaccine could lead to hundreds of infections: Research

Source: The Hill

04/27/26 5:34 PM ET


The decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending giving infants a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours after birth is likely to lead to hundreds of more infections, worse health outcomes and millions of dollars in higher costs, according to new research published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

The CDC in December approved the change to longstanding practice following a vote by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel.

The agency now advises women who test negative for the virus to consult healthcare providers about whether their babies should get their first doses within 24 hours of birth. Those mothers are recommended, in discussion with a medical provider, to delay the initial dose to at least 2 months of age. The recommendation drew swift pushback from the medical community for upending 30 years of established guidance and practice.

Doctors and infectious disease experts said there is no evidence to back delaying the vaccine. They worry the new guidance will bring a resurgence of the virus. The U.S. has been safely giving the hepatitis B vaccine at birth since 1991, a move that has been credited with nearly eliminating the disease in young children. Cases of hepatitis B infection in children have declined by 99 percent.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5851709-cdc-hepatitis-b-vaccine-delay/