A key American vaccine advisory panel is set for a decisive vote on Friday, potentially altering the decades-old recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. The move follows two previous postponements and a notably tense meeting marked by heated exchanges.
A Meeting Marked by Debate and Delay
The gathering of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in Atlanta on Thursday was dominated by fierce discussion over restricting access to the infant hepatitis B vaccine. The debate led members to defer the crucial vote by a day to allow more time to review the precise wording of the proposal.
The panel, which guides the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine use, had already postponed this vote on two prior occasions. The current recommendation, in place for over thirty years and administered to an estimated 1.4 billion people globally, aims to protect newborns from a virus that can cause serious, lifelong liver damage.
New Panel, New Priorities Under RFK Jr
The context of the meeting is deeply influenced by recent political appointments. The committee's membership was entirely overhauled earlier this year by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the prominent anti-vaccine activist appointed as Health Secretary by Donald Trump. Kennedy dismissed all 17 previous members, replacing them with his own appointees, several of whom are known vaccine sceptics aligned with his desire to overhaul longstanding immunisation schedules.
The panel changed again this week with the departure of its most recent chair, Dr Martin Kulldorff. He was replaced by Dr Kirk Milhoan, a cardiologist who has been publicly critical of Covid-19 vaccines. The committee can only make recommendations to the CDC's acting director, Jim O'Neill, who succeeded Susan Monarez after she was ousted by the Trump administration in August.
Evidence vs. Speculation in Heated Exchange
Thursday's discussions revealed clear divisions. The meeting presented no new evidence of harm from the hepatitis B vaccine. In one pointed exchange, ACIP member and neuroscientist Joseph Hibbeln questioned the basis for considering a delay.
"Is there any specific evidence of harm of giving this vaccination before 30 days? Or is this speculation?" Hibbeln asked. Mark Blaxill, an author who claims vaccines cause autism and was recently named a senior adviser at the CDC, responded that there was "limited evidence about the long-term risk."
"So this was speculation and limited evidence," Hibbeln replied. "OK, got it." Public health experts warn that any change to the established hepatitis B vaccination schedule could have significant and far-reaching consequences for childhood health across the United States, potentially leaving newborns vulnerable to a preventable infection.
