CDC Vaccine Panel Ends Universal Hepatitis B Shot for Newborns

A key advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has voted to change its guidance on hepatitis B vaccination for infants. The panel removed the universal recommendation that all newborns receive their first dose of the vaccine within 24 hours of birth. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) made the decision in a vote on Friday. This committee provides guidance that typically becomes official U.S. health policy. The new recommendation will now prioritize the birth dose only for infants born to mothers with a known hepatitis B infection or unknown medical history. For other newborns, the first vaccine dose can be given later, at one or two months of age. Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver and can cause lifelong illness. The CDC states that vaccination remains the best protection. The change aims to align the schedule with current, lower disease risk in the general population.