CDC panel backs different approach to hep B shots for newborns

The USA’s immunization advisers have voted to shift long-standing guidance on hepatitis B vaccination for newborns, recommending a more tailored approach for infants born to mothers who test negative for the virus. 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) backed the change 8-3, saying parents and clinicians should now decide jointly whether to give the birth dose or begin the series later. ACIP suggested that if families choose to vaccinate, the first shot should not be given before two months of age.

Infants born to mothers who test positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, or whose status is unknown, will continue to receive the traditional birth-dose vaccine alongside hepatitis B immune globulin.