Chris Dall

#ACIP just voted to scrap the universal hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation.

There is no new safety signal. No scientific rationale.

We are dismantling a 30-year-old, cancer-preventing policy that has nearly eliminated hepatitis B in U.S. children. 1/2

The meeting is over. But you can still read my play-by-play by checking out my threads.

If ACIP chooses to ignore evidence, when it comes to vaccines, parents and clinicians must ignore ACIP and look to those who continue to offer data-based guidance, especially our medical societies.

CDC advisers drop decades-old universal #hepatitis B birth dose recommendation, suggest blood testing after 1 dose

The measures, which passed despite protests from several members, drew swift rebuke from the medical community.

www.cidrap.umn.edu/a...

Photo: James Gathany / CDC

Some good context for the #ACIP discussion on aluminum adjuvants in childhood vaccines.
publications.aap.org/pediatrics/a...

Updated Evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025–2026 | NEJM Changes in the vaccine advisory process in the United States have disrupted immunization guidance, which reinforces the need for independent evidence review to inform decisions regarding immunizati...

I can't type fast enough to fact check all of Siri's claims. But the Vaccine Integrity Project has done an authoritative review of vaccine safety just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

She said the same thing yesterday. That seems to have been her only contribution to the discussion.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, who cast the deciding vote to confirm RFK Jr. as health and human services secretary, disapproves of what Kennedy's handpicked panel has done to limit access to hep B vaccines.

ACIP has voted 8-3 to change the infant vaccination schedule for hepatitis B. Meissner, Hibbeln, Pollack voted no. Here's the language.

From the “first consolidated World Health Organization report on viral hepatitis epidemiology, service coverage and product access,” “Globally, 115 countries have introduced universal hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, and 45% of infants received the hepatitis B birth dose within the first 24 hours of birth in 2022. Twenty-three countries have selective programmes with targeted provision of the hepatitis B birth dose (the vaccine is provided to the infants of mothers who are HBsAg positive). Infant immunization schedules in 190 countries include the hepatitis B vaccine. Of the 38 WHO focus countries for the viral hepatitis response, 25 have introduced birth-dose programmes and all provide the hepatitis B vaccine (usually as part of pentavalent vaccines) in their infant vaccination programme. In theory, if these vaccines are included in the national programme, all children should have access; however, in practice, coverage varies widely across regions and countries (Table 3.23 and Fig. 3.32). Chapter 4 presents detailed information for the 38 WHO focus countries for viral hepatitis.” https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240091672

Did you know?

190 countries have infant immunization schedules that include the Hep B vaccine

115 countries recommend a universal birth-dose of the Hep B vaccine, one of the key actions WHO recommends to reduce Hep B prevalence

Read more in the WHO Hep B Report ➡️
iris.who.int/server/api/c...

Follow my @cidrap.bsky.social colleague @lizszabo.bsky.social for live coverage of day 2 of the #ACIP meeting.

Communism

Screenshot of a CDC slide titled “Michigan, 1999.” It describes a previously healthy 3-month-old infant admitted on December 14, 1999 with diarrhea, jaundice, and acute liver failure from hepatitis B virus; the infant died three days later and had not received a hepatitis B vaccine until age 2.5 months. The slide notes that the infant’s mother tested HBsAg-positive at her first prenatal visit (the first of ten), but the prenatal record sent to the birth hospital incorrectly said she was hepatitis-negative and neither the provider nor the lab reported the positive result as required. A blue box at the bottom states: “The Immunization Action Coalition documented more than 500 transmissions of HBV in these types of situations from 1999 to 2002.”

To all the people saying that hep B only affects "people who do IV drugs and have orgies":
www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa...

2. And if that is their opinion, I think they are going to try to undo every recommendation on the childhood immunization schedule over the next 3 years. #ACIP

One final thought on today's #ACIP meeting Most of the committee members (with the exception of at least 2) seem to be of the opinion that any sign of harm from a vaccine, regardless of the benefits, is a reason to rethink recommending that vaccine.

During chaotic meeting, CDC advisers handpicked by RFK Jr. postpone vote on changing hepatitis B vaccine recommendations

Although the hepatitis B vaccine is widely heralded as a public health success story, Kennedy has long targeted it as dangerous

www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...

As European IPC nurse I can assure you that early neonatal vaccination is the standard practice in the vast majority of European countries. Therefore, Dr. Beth assertion is demonstrably erroneous and quite surprising coming from a professional occupying a position of such responsibility. #IDsky

That's it from me for today. Hope this has been helpful. #ACIP

"Are you prepared to make decisions that will cost children their lives?" one of the commenters asks of the committee. #ACIP

Now in the public comment period, and the comments are heavily pro-universal birth dose. #ACIP

Now hearing from people with lived experiences. First was a doctor who was infected with hepatitis B as a child, now hearing from a parent of an infant who died after receiving the second dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. They have differing opinions on the universal birth dose. #ACIP

Levi now arguing there is no control group to study the adverse impacts of the birth dose of the hep B vaccine since every child gets it. #ACIP

Laura Morris of AAFP argues undoing the birth dose and requiring more documentation, without sufficient evidence of harm from the birth dose or benefit from a new policy, is concerning. #ACIP

Levi is unwilling to accept the idea that the universal birth dose of the hep B vaccine has reduced hep B infections, believes the vaccines wouldn't be approved today, criticizes "really bad decision processes of the past." #ACIP

Liaison member Dr. Robert Schecter says hep B surveillance is incomplete, so it's "hard to know what we're missing." #ACIP

Liaison member Grant Paulson of PIDS asks "Why is there pressure today to change something that has been working?" Says this feels like an ad-hoc decision. #ACIP

Liaison member Massoud Mahmoudi asking if there's a policy for reviewing hep B data if a change to the birth dose is made. #ACIP

Levi seems to be arguing against the concept of public health. #ACIP

Levi says hep B vaccines were approved based on "outrageous criteria," says you need proof that "there is no harm." #ACIP

Griffin suggests immigrants aren't getting screened for hep B, keeps harping on this theme of "asking babies to solve our problems." #ACIP