Risk profile of hepatitis B explained

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel voted to end a recommendation that all newborns be immunized at birth against hepatitis B. That guidance had been in place for more than 30 years. Hepatitis B is a highly infectious virus that can cause severe liver damage, including cirrhosis and cancer.

The members of this panel, known as ACIP, were handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior. That’s after he abruptly fired all the previous 17 members of the panel earlier this year. That which led top officials at the CDC to resign in protest.

His new members have publicly stated they want to revisit the entire childhood vaccine schedule. And after the panel’s recent meeting, President Donald Trump expressed support for such a review.

How will ending the recommended Hepatitis B shot for newborns affect public health? And what’s next for childhood vaccinations?

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