US EditionRFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Expected to Recommend Delaying Hepatitis B Shot for Children
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices may change longstanding guidelines despite a 99% decline in hepatitis B cases among youth since 1990, raising concerns about increased infection risk.
- 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.
51 Articles
51 Articles
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, according to two former senior Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.
Hastings Tribune
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,…
LA Daily News
RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel expected to recommend delaying hepatitis B shot for babies
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RFK jr. and CDC considers delaying hepatitis b birth vaccine; What it means for El Paso Newborns
EL PASO TX (KVIA)--A proposed shift in national vaccine guidelines could leave some infants unprotected at birth in cities like El Paso. For more than three decades, newborns in the United States have received their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. But that could soon change. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is preparing to vote on a proposal that would delay the birth dose of the hepat…
RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel expected to recommend delaying hepatitis B shot for newborns
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, according to two former senior Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.
Kennedy’s vaccine panel expected to recommend delaying hepatitis B shot in children
A key federal vaccine advisory panel whose members were recently replaced by Health 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, according to two former senior officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“There is going to likely be a discussion about hepatitis B vaccine, very specifically trying to dislodge the birth dose of he…
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