Post Reports The biggest shift yet in U.S. vaccine policy
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Dec 11, 2025 
Lena Sun, a national health reporter for The Washington Post, discusses the significant overhaul of childhood vaccinations in the U.S., particularly the recent recommendation to drop the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. She highlights the potential health risks and misinformation surrounding this decision. Joining her is Dr. Nola Jean Ernest, a pediatrician in Alabama, who shares her frontline experiences with vaccine hesitancy and how she effectively communicates with concerned parents about the importance of vaccinations.
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Major Shift To Hepatitis B Birth Dose
- The vaccine advisory panel voted to drop the universal birth dose of hepatitis B, marking a major change to the childhood schedule.
- Lena Sun calls this the most substantial change in decades and an opening salvo for broader schedule revisions.
Why The Birth Dose Protects Newborns
- Hepatitis B is a bloodborne virus that can pass from mother to baby during birth and survive on surfaces for days.
- Newborn infection carries about a 90% chance of chronic lifelong disease with risks of liver failure and cancer.
Panel's Rationale: Limited Evidence, Parental Choice
- The panel's rationale rests on limited evidence, emphasizing parental choice and perceived low risk for babies of hepatitis B when the mother tests negative.
- They propose vaccinating only infants at high risk or delaying the first dose until two months for low-risk infants.