Major US Panel to Vote on Modifying Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine Guideline

Following a hold-up and a remarkably divisive session, a government vaccine expert group was scheduled to decide on Friday on whether to change the enduring advisory that every infant be inoculated against hepatitis B.

Intense Discussion and a Deferred Vote

The initial day of the meeting on Thursday was marked by fiery discussion over limiting availability to the hepatitis B vaccine for babies and a decision to defer the vote by a day to give members more time to scrutinize the phrasing. The panel, which advises the national health agency on immunization practices, had twice before postponed.

“Is there any specific evidence of damage of giving this vaccination before 30 days? Or is this theory?” questioned one panel member.

In response, another participant stated, “There is scant proof about the long-term risk.”

Present Protocol and Possible Consequences

The shot is currently recommended for all infants within 24 hours of being born to halt contraction of hepatitis B, which can cause serious liver damage. It has been given to 1.4 billion people for more than three decades.

The meeting in Atlanta provided no fresh data of damage attributable to the vaccine. Authorities state any alteration to the current hepatitis B vaccine regimen could have major and extensive consequences for pediatric well-being in the United States.

Committee Makeup and Recent Changes

The expert committee can only offer guidance to the leader of the CDC. The committee's composition has undergone changes recently, with the announcement that the panel's latest chairman would leave for an agency job and be substituted with a cardiac doctor who has been skeptical about other immunizations.

The board includes a number of vaccination critics who are in agreement with a aim to revamp – and possibly, in some cases, eliminate – long-established vaccination recommendations.