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A federal vaccine advisory panel is expected to vote on changes to the recommendation that all newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B following a contentious meeting and delay. The panel advising the CDC has twice before postponed the vote on the vaccine, which is currently recommended for all infants within 24 hours of birth and has been given to 1.4 billion people for over three decades. The panel, which includes anti-vaccine advocates appointed by Robert F Kennedy Jr, has been warned that changes to the current vaccination schedule could have significant health impacts, while no new evidence of harm caused by the vaccine was presented at the meeting.
US Federal Panel to Reconsider Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccination Policy
A federal vaccine advisory panel is due to vote on whether to revise the existing recommendation that all newborns receive hepatitis B immunization. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which provides guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine usage, has previously postponed this crucial vote twice.
The committee, comprising members appointed by former President Donald Trump’s controversial health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, includes several anti-vaccine advocates. Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaccine activist, has been a strong proponent of delaying the shot.
Changes to the current recommended schedule for the hepatitis B vaccination could potentially impact childhood health in the US significantly. The vaccine is given to all infants within 24 hours of birth, a practice in place for over three decades to prevent hepatitis B infection and subsequent severe liver damage.
During the latest ACIP meeting in Atlanta, no new evidence was presented to suggest that the vaccine causes harm. A sharp exchange took place when ACIP member Joseph Hibbeln asked if there was any specific evidence of harm from vaccinating before 30 days, to which Mark Blaxill, a recent appointee at the CDC, replied, “There is limited evidence about the long-term risk.”
The ACIP can only make recommendations to the acting director of the CDC, Jim O’Neill. Earlier in the year, Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the advisory committee and replaced them with his own appointees, including several vaccine skeptics aligned with his desire to revise or even eliminate long-established vaccination recommendations.
The committee’s membership changed again this week when Dr. Martin Kulldorff, the committee’s recent chair, left for an official role within the health department. He was replaced by Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a cardiologist who has been critical of the Covid vaccine.
Related: CDC advisers delay vote on restricting infant hepatitis B vaccinations in tense meeting
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