Federal Vaccine Advisory Panel Reevaluates Hepatitis B Recommendations

Following delays and a tense meeting, a federal vaccine advisory panel was scheduled to vote on Friday about the longstanding guideline recommending that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine.

The first day of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting on Thursday featured intense discussions over limiting access to the vaccine for infants. The panel decided to postpone the vote by a day, allowing members extra time to assess the language involved. This was the second time the panel had deferred the decision.

Currently, the vaccine is advised for all infants within the first 24 hours after birth to prevent hepatitis B infections, which can lead to serious liver damage. Over the past three decades, the vaccine has been administered to 1.4 billion people.

Interestingly, during the meeting in Atlanta, no new evidence surfaced regarding potential harms from the vaccine. The advisory panel, selected during Donald Trump’s tenure as health secretary, includes several members known for their anti-vaccine stance. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a well-known anti-vaccine advocate, has persistently called for a delay in administering the shot. Experts warn that changing the hepatitis B vaccination schedule could have significant implications for childhood health across the country.

In one notable exchange on Thursday, ACIP member Joseph Hibbeln, who specializes in psychiatry and neuroscience, pressed: “Is there any specific evidence of harm from giving this vaccination before 30 days? Or is this just speculation?”

Mark Blaxill, an author and recently appointed CDC senior advisor who has argued that vaccines can lead to autism and other conditions, replied, “There is limited evidence about the long-term risk.”

Hibbeln responded, “So this was speculation and limited evidence. OK, got it.”

The advisory panel’s role is to provide recommendations to the CDC’s acting director, Jim O’Neill. The previous head, Susan Monarez, was dismissed by the Trump administration in August, with claims that she was “not aligned” with the president’s objectives.

This year, Kennedy made waves by dismissing all 17 members of the advisory committee, replacing them with his own appointees, many of whom share his skepticism regarding vaccines and seek to alter, or even eliminate, established vaccination guidelines.

This week saw another shift in the panel’s membership, as the health department announced Dr. Martin Kulldorff would step down from his role as chair to take on an official position within the agency. He has been succeeded by Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a cardiologist who has openly criticized the Covid vaccine.