CDC panel votes to end newborn hepatitis B Shot recommendation; Texas expert warns of increased risk

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- A CDC advisory committee voted to remove its long-standing recommendation that newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, a guideline in place for more than 30 years.

Under the new recommendation, the first dose would be given at 2 months of age.

Rekha Lakshmanan, executive director of The Immunization Partnership, said the move undermines decades of research and places vulnerable infants at risk.

"We have people who are making decisions who don’t necessarily have the right credentials or the right backgrounds when it comes to vaccines and vaccine policy.” Lakshmanan said

President Donald Trump praised the committee’s decision on Truth Social, writing “The CDC Vaccine Committee made a very good decision to END their Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendation for babies, the vast majority of whom are at NO RISK of Hepatitis B, a disease that is mostly transmitted sexually, or through dirty needles."

Lakshmanan said that in Texas, where many women have limited prenatal care, delaying vaccination could leave newborns more vulnerable.

“When a mom goes to a hospital to give birth to a baby, we may not necessarily know what their status is related to hepatitis B,” she said.

She warned that the recommendation could signal broader changes to routine childhood vaccinations. Texas saw a significant measles outbreak earlier this year, resulting in the deaths of two children.

“It is frustrating and flabbergasting because no child is expendable,” Lakshmanan said. “No one really knows when someone is going to be at risk or exposed to a vaccine-preventable illness.”