Key US Panel to Decide on Modifying Infant Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendation
Following a delay and a remarkably divisive meeting, a government vaccine expert group was scheduled to decide on Friday on whether to change the long-held guideline that every infant be inoculated against hepatitis B.
Intense Discussion and a Delayed Ballot
The initial day of the assembly on Thursday was defined by heated debate over curbing eligibility to the hepatitis B vaccine for infants and a decision to delay the ballot by a day to provide committee members extra time to review the wording. The panel, which counsels the CDC on vaccination protocols, had put off the vote twice in the past.
“Is there any specific evidence of harm of giving this shot before 30 days? Or is this conjecture?” asked one panel member.
In response, another member stated, “There is inadequate data about the long-term risk.”
Current Guidelines and Potential Impact
The injection is presently advised for every newborn within 24 hours of being born to stop transmission of hepatitis B, which can lead to major damage to the liver. It has been administered to 1.4 billion people for over thirty years.
The meeting in Atlanta provided no fresh data of damage attributable to the vaccine. Experts say any change to the current hepatitis B immunization timeline could have significant and far-reaching consequences for pediatric well-being in the United States.
Committee Makeup and New Appointments
The consultative group can only provide advice to the leader of the CDC. The group's roster has undergone changes recently, with the announcement that the panel's latest chairman would step down for an formal position and be substituted with a cardiologist who has been questioning of other immunizations.
The committee includes a number of vaccination critics who support a aim to revamp – and possibly, in some cases, abolish – longstanding vaccine advisories.
