Amid concerns that federal vaccine advisors could change guidance on when children should receive the hepatitis B vaccine, the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) at the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) announced today that it will conduct a thorough review of evidence supporting a universal birth dose.
The review will look at decades of data on the safety, efficacy, and public health impact of administering the hepatitis B shot at birth, which has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) since 1991. Hepatitis B infections in the United States have declined 95% since the universal birth dose policy was adopted, VIP noted in a news release sent to reporters.
CIDRAP is the publisher of CIDRAP News. Last week the VIP published a review of 511 studies on the efficacy and safety of COVID, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and flu vaccines.
Is a new recommendation needed?
At its most recent meeting in September, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) tabled a vote on whether it should recommend the hepatitis B shot be delayed for a month if the mother tests negative for the virus. The timing of the shot is among several routine childhood vaccine recommendations being reviewed by the ACIP, which has been reconstructed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic.
During the meeting, several ACIP members questioned the data on the safety and efficacy of the birth dose, while others seemed wary of changing the recommendation without any new data. Although many infectious disease experts have argued against the change and questioned why the issue was even raised, there could be a vote at the next ACIP meeting, which is scheduled for December.
"Before any change to a recommendation that has helped virtually eliminate pediatric hepatitis B in the United States, it's essential to understand what the data actually say," said CIDRAP Director Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH. "Any shift that increases the risk of hepatitis B transmission to newborns must be grounded in the strongest possible science."
VIP says the review will draw upon ACIP's prior Evidence-to-Recommendation (EtR) analyses, CDC surveillance data, published epidemiologic studies, systematic reviews, and reports from the AAP and other professional medical organizations. It hopes to complete the review by early December.
Before any change to a recommendation that has helped virtually eliminate pediatric hepatitis B in the United States, it's essential to understand what the data actually say.
