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When the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee meets on Thursday, its members may revise the committee’s current policy recommending that every newborn in the U.S. receive the hepatitis B vaccine on the day of birth.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting materials, posted this afternoon, included outlines of the finalized presentations to the committee, but did not include the new proposed recommendations.
However, CNN reported that the committee is expected to vote on delaying the shot to age 4, citing Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
The New York Times reported that the committee may consider recommending immunization only for babies born to mothers known to be infected with the illness, which is the only risk factor for newborns.
The rumored changes to the hepatitis B (Hep B) vaccine recommendations have sparked outcry in the mainstream media.
At a U.S. Senate hearing today with the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Susan Monarez, and ex-Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, several senators said they opposed any changes to the recommendations.
President Donald Trump fired Monarez last month after she clashed with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Vaccine panel to review Hep B safety evidence
Thursday’s panel on the Hep B vaccines will discuss published scientific literature showing non-specific effects of vaccination, which are distinct from adverse events.
These include changes in the immune system that have broader effects, such as changes in mortality rates, infections unrelated to the target disease, and the risk of allergic and autoimmune diseases.
Presentations will include effects of the Hep B vaccine — which in one study showed higher infant mortality between 7.5 and 12 months of age — and a general assessment of childhood vaccines.
Another presentation will review Hep B vaccine safety, summarizing adverse events when the vaccine is administered within 24 hours of birth.
According to the presentation slides posted on the CDC website today, the evidence didn’t show an increase in allergic reaction, all-cause mortality, unexpected infant death or seizures. The study evaluated only short-term outcomes of less than 30 days.
Every state but Alabama requires Hep B vaccine to attend school
Hepatitis B, a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus, is transmitted through bodily fluids — typically by sexual contact or shared needles. Being an IV drug user is the most common risk factor for the disease.
Infected pregnant mothers can pass the disease to their infants, but this is rare. Approximately 25,000 pregnant women per year, or 0.69%, have hepatitis B, and about 1,000 pass it to their babies, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The disease can range from a mild, short-term, acute illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, long-term, chronic infection.
“Almost all children and older adults infected with acute HBV recover completely with no lasting liver damage,” according to the CDC.
Women can be tested for the disease to determine if their babies would benefit from vaccination, but that’s not what the CDC currently recommends.
Instead, because the CDC recommends all infants receive the vaccine within 24 hours of birth — and most states rely on the CDC schedule for determining school vaccine mandates — every state except Alabama requires the Hep B vaccine for children to attend childcare, school or both.
School-aged children don’t fit the at-risk profile for contracting hepatitis B, and the CDC has no evidence that the virus has ever been transmitted in a school setting, according to a records search by attorney Aaron Siri.
Committee steadily expanded Hep B vaccine recommendations since 1982
When the CDC vaccine advisory committee made its first Hep B vaccine recommendation in 1982, it recommended the shot only for people at higher risk. This includes healthcare workers, people likely to be in sexual or “needle stick” contact with an infected person and infants born to mothers with the virus.
In 1988, the committee called for all pregnant mothers to be screened to determine if vaccination would be necessary. At that time, it was estimated that 16,500 mothers per year were infected and, without vaccination, an estimated 3,500 infants would become chronic carriers.
In 1991, only a few years after the 1986 Childhood Vaccine Injury Act shielded vaccine makers from liability for injuries related to vaccines on the CDC’s childhood schedule, the committee recommended vaccination for all infants, regardless of their mothers’ hepatitis B status.
The recommendation led to the Hep B vaccine being added to the childhood immunization schedule.
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Hep B vaccines licensed despite no long-term safety studies
The two Hep B vaccines currently licensed for newborns were approved after clinical trials with small numbers of children and no medium- or long-term safety studies.
Post-marketing studies show a wide range of serious side effects from both vaccines, including immune system disorders like systemic lupus erythematosus, thrombocytopenia, Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, febrile seizure, Bell’s palsy, herpes zoster and encephalitis.
At the most recent ACIP meeting in June, Martin Kulldorff, Ph.D., the committee chair and one of seven new members appointed to the committee, announced that the panel may revisit the recommendations.
“Unless the mother is hepatitis B positive, an argument could be made to delay the vaccine for this infection, which is primarily spread by sexual activity and intravenous drug use,” he said.
At this month’s meeting, five additional members will join the committee, HHS confirmed on Monday, bringing the number of members on the committee to 12.
In June, Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of ACIP due to conflicts of interest and named seven new members.
At this week’s meeting, Thursday and Friday, members will vote on new recommendations for several vaccines, including MMRV, Hep B and COVID-19.
Related articles in The Defender- CDC Plan to Review Hep B Vaccine for Babies Sends Mainstream Media into Tailspin
- Hep B Vaccines Come With High Risk, Little Benefit — Why Does CDC Recommend Them for Every Newborn?
- CDC Recommends New Hep B Vaccine for Pregnant Women, Removes Warning on Lack of Safety Data
- Mom, Teen Sue School That Refused to Grant Hep B Vaccine Medical Exemption
