December 4, 2025
Local
Local
WASHINGTON, Dec 6 — A US vaccine advisory panel, overhauled by Trump-appointed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., voted to end the long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine. The panel instead advised “individual-based decision-making,” where vaccination is considered based on consultation with a healthcare provider, even if mothers test negative for the virus.
The move, passed 8-3, reverses decades of guidance aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission and virtually eradicating hepatitis B infections among children in the United States. Babies who are not vaccinated at birth are now advised to wait at least two months before the first dose, with antibody testing before subsequent doses.
Medical experts sharply condemned the decision, citing gaps in maternal screening and the risk of increased infections. American Academy of Pediatrics President Susan J. Kressly called it “irresponsible and misleading,” while some Republican officials, including Senator Bill Cassidy, urged the CDC not to adopt the new guidance.
The ACIP panel, reshaped by Kennedy to include vaccine skeptics, has also reviewed prior COVID-19 and measles recommendations and is examining the broader childhood vaccination schedule. Critics warn the changes could further reduce US vaccination rates.
Universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth has been recommended in the US since 1991, and is endorsed by the WHO, China, and Australia. Democratic-led states have signalled they may ignore the new recommendations. — AFP
