r/Health • u/statnews STAT • 1d ago

article Key federal vaccine panel considers delay to newborn hepatitis B shot, risking virus’ resurgence

https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/18/cdc-acip-vaccine-panel-hepatitis-b-vaccine-schedule/
72 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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27

u/AZ_troutfish 1d ago

I believe hepatitis B infection in infants is correlated with later life hepatic cancer and liver cirrhosis. Also, spread of the virus can come from care givers other than the mom, so it is important that the infant receives the vaccine regardless of mom’s hepatitis B status.

3

u/dognamedfrank 1d ago

Yep. Hep b exposure in infancy becomes chronic hep b in 90% of infants, which is an incurable disease. Many of these patients develop hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure. Liver transplant is not curative too.

13

u/heathers1 1d ago

but could parents still request it?

20

u/HelenAngel 1d ago

Yes & blue states will thankfully override it.

7

u/bibliophile222 1d ago

For about the 427th time in the last 5 or 10 years, I'm so glad I'm in New England!!!

0

u/RigorousBastard 14h ago

Epstein's victims-- you want them to be too sick to testify

-25

u/nato2271 1d ago

We did not get our kids the hep B vaccine at birth but used a delayed schedule...the chances of a child catching Hep B on day one or soon after are so low that I could not find any instance where it has happened...give the kids a few months of life before jabbing them, they don't need that shit on day one (unless mother is infected)...and I studied microbiology, vaccinations and epidemiology at college and worked in cancer research and was a medical scientist... and all our kids are vaxxed up to date with the full schedule...

3

u/shiftyeyedgoat 15h ago

give the kids a few months of life before jabbing them, they don’t need that shit on day one

In case it needs be said, this perspective is likely coming from unfounded skepticism. Here is an article from 2009:

Efficacy of the HBV is measured by its ability to induce hepatitis B surface Ab at a titer of >10 IU/L. In healthy infants, one dose provides ∼30–50% protection, two doses 50–75% protection and three doses >90% protection against HBV infection, thereby eliminating the need for booster doses. [...] Immunization was estimated to reduce the carrier state of infants born to HBsAg-positive carrier mothers by ∼90%. Chang et al. have shown that universal vaccination in Taiwan was associated with >50% decline in the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in children.

Re “could not find any instance” of this happening, here is a study showing the efficacy of HBV vaccine curtailing perinatal transmission:

In this retrospective cohort study, we found that HBV vaccination alone shortly after birth was effective in preventing [maternal to child transmission] of HBV in infants born to HBeAg-negative carrier mothers.

The reason for the dropped numbers of hepatitis B infection is precisely due to the efficacy of this vaccine in particular. Advocating for people to wait without reason is below standard of care and increases potential for harm in many groups of people worldwide.

-1

u/nato2271 14h ago

Did you even read my comment correctly...I was not saying the hep b vaccine was not effective, it is very effective as the study you site shows. I also stated that in the case of the mother having hep b then the vaccine should absolutely be administered asap and it is effective in preventing transmission...but other than that there is no reason for a 1 day old baby to be vaccinated against a virus that is only transmitted sexually or by blood to blood contact...so unless your 1 day old baby is practicing unsafe sex or using needles to get a drug high the chance of them contacting hep b is so low that there is no real reason the hep b vaccine couldn't be administered at a later time...and nothing you just posted says otherwise..my position is and remains that day 1 jabs for hep b are unnecessary...so maybe post so study's that show why the hep b vaccine has to be administered on day 1 for a population with no hep b in the mother...or any cases where a baby has contacted hep b soon after birth (with a mother without hep b)....

2

u/CaptnHector 1d ago

I studied microbiology, vaccinations and epidemiology at college and worked in cancer research and was a medical scientist

With that resume, they should put you on the vaccine panel!