The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel voted Friday to change the recommendation for when children should get their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Instead of a first dose within 24 hours of birth — as the CDC has advised for more than 30 years — the panel voted to recommend delaying it until a child is 2 months old for children born to mothers who test negative for the virus.
The panel voted, in a 8-2 decision, to recommend individual decision-making in consultation with a health care provider to determine when or if to give the hepatitis B birth dose to a child whose mother tested negative for the virus.
Many medical experts and organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics opposed such a change, saying it will leave young children at risk of an infection that can cause lifelong illness. They point to decades of research confirming the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.
The decision came on the second day of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ December meeting, after confusion on Thursday led to the vote being delayed.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-acip-vaccine-panel-hepatitis-b-birth-dose/