The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted 8-3 on Friday to remove the universal recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to make vaccine recommendations based on the mother’s testing status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recommendations state that if a mother tests negative for hepatitis B, parents should decide, with the\u00a0guidance of their health care provider, whether the shot is right for their newborn — referred to as “individual-based decision-making,” according to a document with the ACIP voting language.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The vote includes that newborns who do not receive the hepatitis B birth dose get an initial dose no earlier than 2 months old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The voting language document emphasized there is no change to the recommendation that infants born to women who test positive or have unknown status to be vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The language document also included a footnote that parents and health care providers should consider whether the newborn faces risks, such as a hepatitis B-positive household member or frequent contact with people who have emigrated from areas where hepatitis B is common. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a second vote, the ACIP voted 6-4, with one abstention, that parents of older children should talk to their doctor about hepatitis B antibody testing before considering subsequent hepatitis B vaccination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The testing would determine whether an antibody threshold was achieved and should be covered by insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CDC acting director, Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O\u2019Neill, is expected to sign off on the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n