Vaccine advisers for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted on Thursday to delay a vote on restricting hepatitis B vaccination for infants until Friday, following a contentious meeting. The advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) debated limiting access to the vaccine, which has been given to 1.4 billion people over three decades with a strong safety record. No new evidence of harm was presented.
The meeting turned confrontational, with two members demanding evidence of harm while pointing to the vaccine's benefits. The vice-chair interrupted their comments. Several advisers, hand-picked by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, are longtime anti-vaccine advocates. Kennedy has long pushed for delaying the shot.
Experts warn that any change to the current hepatitis B vaccination schedule could have significant consequences for childhood health. Infant immunization has been linked to a 99% decline in acute hepatitis B cases among children from 1990 to 2019. A new model found that delaying the shot from birth to two months could lead to at least 1,400 infections, 300 cases of liver cancer, and 480 deaths annually, plus over $222m in additional healthcare costs.
Debra Houry, former CDC chief medical officer, said simply holding discussions around established vaccines gives the impression that the science is unclear, confusing parents. The ACIP leadership was recently shaken up, with the new chair being Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who has advocated against Covid vaccines.
The aborted vote follows previous meetings where advisers recommended restricting access to Covid, measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox vaccines. The advisory panel can only make recommendations to CDC acting director Jim O'Neill.
