CDC Panel Sparks Controversy Over Hepatitis B Birth-Dose Recommendation

The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Jim O’Neill, is expected to decide soon whether to accept a committee’s recommendation that could alter long-standing vaccination policy for newborns.

The move would mark a return to a health strategy abandoned more than three decades ago. Committee member Vicky Pebsworth said the panel acted quickly due to “pressure from stakeholder groups,” though she did not specify which ones.

Concerns Over Birth-Dose Vaccination
Committee members argued that the risk of hepatitis B infection in most babies is very low and questioned the adequacy of earlier safety studies. They also expressed concern that doctors and nurses often fail to fully discuss the pros and cons of the birth-dose vaccine with parents.

Despite repeated pleas from public health experts to maintain the existing recommendation, the panel pushed forward with proposals to delay the first dose for many infants until two months of age.

“This is unconscionable,” said committee member Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, who strongly opposed the measure during heated debate. Committee chair Dr. Kirk Milhoan defended the two-month delay, saying infants would be past the neonatal stage, but Hibbeln countered that no data supported the cut-off.

Background on Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection that can become chronic in infants and children, leading to cirrhosis, liver cancer, or liver failure. The virus spreads through sexual contact, shared needles, or from mother to child at birth.

In 1991, the CDC recommended a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, a policy credited with sharply reducing infections in children. Experts stress that immediate immunization is crucial to prevent the virus from taking hold.

Additional Proposals
The committee also narrowly approved a measure encouraging parents to discuss blood tests with pediatricians to check whether hepatitis B shots produced protective antibodies. Critics, including CDC hepatitis expert Adam Langer, warned that such testing is unreliable and unnecessary, noting there is no evidence that the standard three-dose regimen harms children.

Leadership Uncertainty
Traditionally, CDC directors adopt committee recommendations, which guide vaccination programs nationwide. However, the agency currently lacks a permanent director, leaving O’Neill to make the final decision.

The debate follows a major shake-up in June when President Kennedy dismissed the entire 17-member panel and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices, fueling concerns about the direction of U.S. vaccination policy.