RFK Jr. vaccine panel criticizes hepatitis B shot. How it impacts you.

On Friday, December 12, the vaccine advisory committee led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted to stop universally recommending the first hepatitis B vaccine for newborns within 24 hours of birth. This decision follows a heated discussion and a delayed vote during the previous days meeting.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now suggests parents make individualized decisions for babies born to mothers who test negative for hepatitis B. For those who choose to delay vaccination, the panel recommends the first dose be administered no earlier than two months of age. The panel continues to advise that infants born to hepatitis B-positive mothers should still receive the birth dose.

Robert Malone, ACIP vice chairman, described the decision as a conflict between personal choice and public health obligations. We are caught between two opposing perspectives: individual rights versus societal responsibilities, Malone stated.

Not all members agreed with the change. Cody Meissner argued that the current vaccine schedule is effective, noting that cases of hepatitis B have been declining. Reducing the frequency or delaying the schedule based on low current incidence could result in a resurgence of infections, Meissner warned.

Joseph Hibbeln expressed concern over the lack of data supporting a delayed dose. He emphasized that there is insufficient evidence to suggest some infants would benefit from postponing vaccination and highlighted that the committees questions had been revised multiple times over four days.

Supporters of the new guidance, including Retsef Levi, pointed out that infants born to hepatitis B-negative mothers face extremely low risk. Parents should consider whether its necessary to expose their child to a medical intervention that carries potential risks, Levi explained.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a critic of modifying the hepatitis B schedule, condemned the committees decision to include Aaron Siri in the discussion, calling him a trial attorney who makes his living suing vaccine manufacturers rather than a childhood vaccine expert. Cassidy stated that ACIPs credibility has been undermined and accused the panel of failing to adequately protect children.

Author: Logan Reeves