The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Tuesday formally dropped the decades-old federal recommendation that all infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
Why it matters: The widely anticipated move marks the Trump administration's first major change to the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule and turns one of vaccine critics' top priorities into official government policy.
- The move was telegraphed earlier this month when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked vaccine advisers recommended the change.
Driving the news: The CDC said acting director Jim O'Neill approved updating the immunization schedule to reflect the vaccine advisers' primary recommendation.
- Under the guidance, mothers who test negative for hepatitis can get their infants vaccinated after at least two months of age after consulting with doctors.
- Mothers testing positive would continue to be recommended to have their infants vaccinated within 24 hours of birth.
- The agency said it's still reviewing a separate recommendation from the panel that parents consult with a health care provider on blood testing for antibodies to determine whether further vaccine doses are needed. The vaccine is typically given to infants in a three-dose series.
What they're saying: "We are restoring the balance of informed consent to parents whose newborns face little risk of contracting hepatitis B," O'Neill said in a statement.
Leading public health groups and medical associations have assailed the policy changes, saying will make it harder for parents who chose to vaccinate to access care in a timely way.
- They also criticized the vaccine advisers for ignoring substantial evidence showing the hepatitis B vaccines are safe and effective.
- "Rolling back this recommendation creates confusion and doubt about vaccines, reverses hard-won progress in preventing hepatitis B and will undoubtedly result in completely preventable illness and death," American Medical Association trustee Sandra Adamson Fryhofer said in a statement.
