Major US Advisory Committee to Vote on Modifying Infant Hepatitis B Vaccine Advisory

Following a delay and a particularly heated session, a federal vaccine advisory panel was scheduled to decide on Friday concerning altering the enduring advisory that all newborns be immunized against hepatitis B.

Fiery Exchange and a Deferred Vote

The opening session of the meeting on Thursday was marked by intense argument over limiting availability to the hepatitis B vaccine for infants and a decision to defer the vote by a day to provide committee members extra time to examine the language. The group, which advises the national health agency on immunization practices, had previously delayed on two occasions.

“Is there any specific evidence of damage of giving this immunization before 30 days? Or is this theory?” inquired one committee member.

In answer, another participant stated, “There is scant proof about the enduring danger.”

Present Protocol and Possible Consequences

The injection is currently recommended for every newborn within 24 hours of birth to prevent infection of hepatitis B, which can result in serious liver damage. It has been given to 1.4 billion people for in excess of thirty years.

The Georgia assembly presented no recent proof of damage attributable to the vaccine. Authorities state any alteration to the existing hepatitis B vaccination schedule could have significant and far-reaching implications for childhood health in the United States.

Committee Makeup and Recent Changes

The advisory panel can only provide advice to the leader of the CDC. The group's roster has undergone changes in recent days, with the announcement that the group's former head would step down for an formal position and be succeeded by a cardiologist who has been skeptical about other immunizations.

The committee includes several immunization doubters who align with a goal to reform – and possibly, in some cases, eliminate – long-established immunization guidelines.