🔗 Share this article Major US Advisory Committee to Vote on Altering Baby Hepatitis B Vaccine Guideline Following a hold-up and a particularly heated gathering, a national immunization advisory committee was expected to vote on Friday regarding a potential change to the longstanding recommendation that all newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B. Intense Discussion and a Deferred Vote The first day of the meeting on Thursday was marked by fiery discussion over limiting availability to the hepatitis B vaccine for infants and a resolution to postpone the decision by a day to allow panelists additional time to scrutinize the phrasing. The group, which advises the CDC on vaccine use, had twice before postponed. “Is there any definitive data of injury of giving this vaccination before 30 days? Or is this speculation?” inquired one committee member. In answer, another member stated, “There is inadequate data about the enduring danger.” Existing Recommendations and Potential Impact The injection is currently recommended for every newborn within 24 hours of delivery to stop transmission of hepatitis B, which can lead to serious liver damage. It has been administered to more than a billion persons for in excess of thirty years. The meeting in Atlanta offered no new evidence of damage attributable to the vaccine. Specialists note any change to the existing hepatitis B vaccination schedule could have major and extensive consequences for childhood health in the United States. Committee Makeup and New Appointments The advisory panel can only offer guidance to the head of the CDC. The panel's membership has undergone changes this week, with the declaration that the panel's latest chairman would step down for an agency job and be replaced by a cardiologist who has been critical of other immunizations. The panel includes multiple vaccine skeptics who align with a aim to revamp – and potentially, in some cases, scrap – longstanding vaccination recommendations.