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The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel has voted to roll back its long-standing recommendation of giving newborns the hepatitis B vaccine immediately after birth, allowing it to be delayed up to two months—a decision that has drawn strong criticism from doctors nationwide who warn it could put infants at risk of serious illness or death. Hepatitis B can lead to lifelong liver damage, cancer, and even death, and CDC data shows the vaccine has reduced childhood infections by 99% over the past three decades. Many medical experts fear the new timeline could trigger a resurgence of the disease. The vote passed 8–3 after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed the previous, highly experienced panel and replaced it with members including several who have expressed skepticism about vaccines; two of the “experts” who testified do not hold medical degrees. While parents may still choose to vaccinate their newborn right away—and babies born to hepatitis B–positive mothers are still strongly advised to receive the shot at birth—doctors emphasize that hepatitis B is not only spread through sexual contact or needle sharing but also through blood exposure. Since about half of infected adults don’t know they carry the virus, an unvaccinated infant could be exposed through something as small as a caregiver’s paper cut, making the birth-dose vaccine a critical protection for newborns.
