US Health Providers Reject ACIP’s New Hepatitis B Vaccination Guidance

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the CDC, recently voted to change a 34-year-old recommendation for universal hepatitis B vaccination of newborns, shifting to recommend vaccination only for infants of women testing positive or with unknown hepatitis B status. This marks a significant departure from the prior universal birth dose that successfully reduced hepatitis B infections in children by 99%. Several major health providers and institutions, including Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), have rejected the ACIP’s new guidance and continue to endorse universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination based on decades of research and evidence of safety and efficacy. Experts emphasize that the current vaccine schedule is supported by extensive data and that the ACIP’s decision lacks new research indicating flaws in safety or effectiveness. Critics of the ACIP decision point out the difficulty in accurately predicting which infants might be at risk, highlighting previous failures with targeted vaccination strategies. Public health alliances, including the West Coast Health Alliance and Northeast Public Health Collaborative, have also opposed the ACIP recommendation, seeking to provide alternatives to the CDC amid declining trust. Individual states such as Connecticut and Maryland have reiterated their commitment to existing hepatitis B vaccination policies for newborns. The BlueCross BlueShield Association and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) have confirmed that private insurers will maintain coverage for the birth dose vaccine. Legal experts note that pediatricians following established vaccine schedules like the AAP’s retain standard-of-care protections, and the hepatitis B vaccine remains part of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), providing liability safeguards for providers. The controversy stems partly from the ACIP's recent reconstitution under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has expressed skepticism about vaccine safety, influencing advisory panel decisions. Despite the ACIP's change, leading clinicians assert their obligation to follow evidence-based practices to safeguard infants against hepatitis B. The universal birth dose has historically prevented tens of thousands of childhood deaths since its inception. The current debate highlights tensions between federal advisory recommendations and public health institutions prioritizing longstanding, evidence-supported vaccination protocols to prevent hepatitis B infections in U.S. infants.