US EditionKennedy’s Vaccine Committee Plans to Vote on COVID-19, Hepatitis B and Chickenpox Shots
- A federal vaccine advisory panel is set to vote on September 18-19, 2025, in Atlanta on a proposal to postpone administering the hepatitis B vaccine from newborns until age 4.
- This follows a 1991 recommendation for universal newborn vaccination that has sharply reduced hepatitis B cases among people aged 19 and under from 3.03 per 100,000 in 1990 to under 0.1 in 2022.
- The vaccine is administered shortly after birth to prevent hepatitis B transmission during delivery, and experts caution that postponing it increases the risk of infection, particularly because many individuals living with hepatitis B are unaware of their condition.
- The federal vaccine advisory panel recently saw changes to its membership, including the removal of chair Martin Kulldorff, who had raised concerns about vaccinating all newborns given the limited ways the virus spreads, while pediatricians continue to strongly oppose postponing the initial dose.
- If the vaccine recommendation changes, insurers may stop covering the shot before age 4, potentially reducing free access and leading to increased hepatitis B cases and greater vulnerability for unvaccinated children.
182 Articles
182 Articles
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RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel expected to recommend delaying hepatitis B shot for children
A key federal vaccine advisory panel whose members were recently replaced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to vote to recommend delaying until age 4 the hepatitis B vaccine that’s currently given to newborns,…
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