Major US Advisory Committee to Vote on Changing Baby Hepatitis B Vaccine Advisory
Following a postponement and an unusually contentious session, a federal vaccine advisory panel was scheduled to decide on Friday on whether to change the long-held guideline that every infant be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
Heated Debate and a Deferred Vote
The initial day of the assembly on Thursday was characterized by intense argument over curbing eligibility to the hepatitis B vaccine for babies and a decision to defer the vote by a day to give members more time to examine the language. The group, which counsels the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccination protocols, had put off the vote twice in the past.
“Is there any specific evidence of damage of giving this immunization before 30 days? Or is this speculation?” questioned one committee member.
In answer, another attendee stated, “There is scant proof about the prolonged hazard.”
Existing Recommendations and Possible Consequences
The vaccine is presently advised for every newborn within 24 hours of being born to stop transmission of hepatitis B, which can cause major damage to the liver. It has been given to more than a billion persons for over thirty years.
The meeting in Atlanta offered no recent proof of damage attributable to the vaccine. Experts say any modification to the present hepatitis B immunization timeline could have major and extensive implications for childhood health in the United States.
Committee Makeup and New Appointments
The consultative group can only provide advice to the head of the CDC. The committee's composition has seen shifts this week, with the statement that the panel's latest chairman would leave for an agency job and be succeeded by a cardiologist who has been questioning of other immunizations.
The committee includes a number of vaccination critics who are in agreement with a aim to revamp – and possibly, in some cases, scrap – longstanding immunization guidelines.
