ACIP to Consider Delaying Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine

A federal vaccine advisory committee is set to convene this week to consider altering long-standing recommendations for administering the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns, a move that could delay the first dose beyond the initial 24 hours of life. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which provides guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has scheduled discussions and a potential vote for December 5 as part of its two-day meeting starting December 4.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that targets the liver and can lead to severe, lifelong complications, including cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer. While most adults clear the virus within six months, up to 90 percent of infected infants develop chronic infections because their immune systems struggle to eliminate it. The virus spreads primarily through blood and bodily fluids, such as during sexual contact or sharing needles, but it also transmits from mother to child during birth or through exposure to infected household members. It can survive on surfaces for more than a week at room temperature, posing risks to unvaccinated young children. An estimated 2.4 million people in the United States...