Key US Panel to Decide on Modifying Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendation
Following a delay and a particularly heated meeting, a national immunization advisory committee was set to cast ballots on Friday on whether to change the enduring advisory that each baby be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
Intense Discussion and a Deferred Vote
The first day of the assembly on Thursday was marked by fiery discussion over limiting availability to the hepatitis B vaccine for babies and a decision to postpone the decision by a day to give members more time to review the wording. The panel, which advises the national health agency on vaccine use, had previously delayed on two occasions.
“Is there any definitive data of damage of giving this immunization before 30 days? Or is this conjecture?” asked one adviser.
In reply, another attendee stated, “There is inadequate data about the long-term risk.”
Current Guidelines and Possible Consequences
The vaccine is currently suggested for each baby within 24 hours of birth to prevent infection of hepatitis B, which can lead to significant hepatic injury. It has been provided to more than a billion persons for in excess of thirty years.
The Atlanta conference provided no recent proof of harms caused by the vaccine. Specialists note any change to the current hepatitis B vaccine regimen could have major and extensive repercussions for infant and child health in the United States.
Group Membership and Recent Changes
The advisory panel can only offer guidance to the head of the CDC. The committee's composition has experienced alterations this week, with the announcement that the committee’s most recent chair would leave for an formal position and be replaced by a cardiologist who has been critical of other immunizations.
The panel includes several immunization doubters who support a goal to reform – and perhaps, in some cases, eliminate – longstanding immunization guidelines.
