A key US vaccine advisory panel, now stacked with sceptical voices appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is meeting to debate a significant rollback of a long-standing public health policy: the routine vaccination of all newborns against hepatitis B.
A Potential Return to 1990s Policy
The committee, which convened in Atlanta on Thursday 4 December 2025, is specifically examining whether to recommend the hepatitis B birth dose only for infants whose mothers test positive for the virus. This would mark a dramatic reversal, returning to a strategy abandoned over three decades ago in 1991.
For all other babies, the decision on whether to administer the vaccine on the first day of life would be left to parents and their doctors. Committee member Vicky Pebsworth stated the review was partly driven by a need to address "stakeholder and parent dissatisfaction" with the current universal recommendation.
Controversial Committee Shake-up Under Kennedy
The context for this debate is highly charged. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine activist before his appointment as the nation's top health official, fired the previous 17-member advisory panel earlier this year. He replaced it with a new group featuring several figures known for vaccine scepticism.
This revamped committee has already made a series of contentious decisions that have angered major medical bodies. These include:
- Recommending the removal of thimerosal from flu vaccines despite a lack of evidence it causes harm.
- Proposing new restrictions on the combined MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox) shot.
- Declining to recommend COVID-19 vaccinations for any group, including high-risk seniors, making it purely a matter of personal choice.
The meeting's agenda notably lacked presentations from CDC scientists, who traditionally provide data. Instead, it featured extended discussions from presenters like Cynthia Nevison and Mark Blaxill, who have published work linked to anti-vaccine groups. A 2021 paper they co-authored was retracted by the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders over methodological concerns and undisclosed ties.
The Stakes for Infant Health
The potential policy change carries significant public health implications. Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection that can become chronic, particularly in infants. Up to 90% of babies who contract the virus develop a lifelong infection, risking liver failure, cancer, and cirrhosis later in life.
The current guidance, in place since 1991, advises a dose within 24 hours of birth for all medically stable infants weighing at least 2 kilograms, with follow-up shots at one and six months. This policy is credited with a dramatic reduction in cases, from roughly 18,000 annual childhood infections to about 2,200.
The committee is expected to vote on new language suggesting that if a family declines the birth dose, the vaccination series should begin when the child is two months old. With the CDC currently without a permanent director, the final decision will rest with acting director Jim O'Neill.
Major doctors' groups have already voiced strong opposition to the committee's recent direction, advising physicians and patients to continue following the established, evidence-based guidance.
