Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked vaccine panel on Friday postponed a vote on whether to delay the initial dose of hepatitis B shot for at least a month from birth of most babies born in the US
This decision means that the committee’s current recommendation – all infants will receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth – will stay until they meet again at a later date. It is unknown when the panel, called the Advisory Committee on Vaccination Practices, or ACIP, will reconvene to discuss shots of Hepatitis B.
ACIP was considering whether to delay the initial dose of the vaccine until at least one month’s age in babies testing for hepatitis B, changing the safe and highly effective birth dosage recommendations introduced in 1991 and are said to have effectively eliminated illnesses in young children.
Some advisers defended birth volume recommendations during the meeting, saying delaying them could pose a potential risk to babies, including infections. However, others, especially those known to vaccine critics, are questioning the safety of administering the vaccine to babies right away.
Dr. Robert Malone, who gained notoriety for promoting Covid’s misinformation, has led to a move to postpone the vote.
“I think there’s plenty of ambiguity here and plenty of remaining debate about safety, effectiveness and timing that I believe today’s vote is premature,” Malone said.
All 12 members supported the movement. “I don’t think there’s any question about the benefits (of birth) far outweighing the side effects,” said Dr. Cody Maisner, a professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine.
Postponed votes affect only the timing of the first dose in the Hepatitis B vaccine series. The second is given 1-2 months after birth, with a third dose between 6 and 18 months.
Also on Friday, the group voted to recommend hepatitis B testing for all pregnant women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose latest director has been ousted by the Trump administration, must register with the committee’s new future recommendations.
The two-day meeting in Atlanta comes after Kennedy destroyed the committee and appointed 12 new members, including well-known vaccine critics. ACIP sets recommendations on who should receive a particular shot, which vaccine insurers should cover for free, raising concerns among health professionals that Kennedy’s reshaped panel could potentially curb access to safe and effective vaccinations.
Hepatitis B shots are a life-saving public health intervention against the disease and can lead to serious health issues such as liver cancer, breakdowns, and death. Acute hepatitis B infections reported between children and teens fell 99% between 1990 and 2019, several studies say. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that the so-called birth rate is important to reduce chronic hepatitis B later.
On Thursday, advisors and other scientific experts clashed over the safety of birth volume.
“I think this vaccine is absolutely important for the baby treated,” said Retsef Levi, who is speaking out about his opposition to the RNA vaccine. “But this notion of sitting here with very poor evidence and claiming that there is absolutely no problem (by managing the shots at birth) is not about building trust, not scientific, and not what the public here should expect from us.”
However, Meissner said changing the recommendations would “increase the risk of harm based on the lack of evidence of profit.” He said fewer children will get the Hepatitis B vaccine series, adding that if you administer a shot at birth at the hospital, you will at least receive the first dose.
“As people asked, why do we choose a month? Why two? There’s no evidence that it’s safer later,” Meissner said. “It’s a very safe vaccine, a very pure vaccine. So I think we’ll create new doubts in the minds of the public who aren’t justified.”
Prior to the vote, the American Medical Association urged the panel to maintain its birth volume recommendations. Other experts outside the panel also expressed concern about the changes in guidance.
“We don’t see data that it’s profitable for babies to wait a month, but there are many potential harms in cases where they wait a month,” said Dr. Adam Langer, CDC epidemiologist, who presented a presentation on the birth rate of hepatitis B prior to the vote.
During his presentation, Langer said, “The sooner the hepatitis B vaccine is provided after birth, the more effective it will be in preventing perinatal infections.” This refers to when an infant is infected by the mother at birth.
Merckproduced one of the vaccines used at birth, pushing back the proposed recommendations ahead of the panel’s official vote on Thursday.
“A rethinking neonatal hepatitis B vaccination on an established schedule poses significant risks to children’s health and the public, which could lead to a revival of preventable infectious diseases,” said Dr. Richard Haupt, director of global health and scientific issues for vaccines and infectious diseases.
GSK We will produce another hepatitis B shot from birth.
