RFK Jr's panel to consider postponing hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s vaccine advisory group is set to meet on Thursday to review a possible change to long-established childhood immunization practices, including a proposal to delay hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns. For decades, federal guidelines have recommended that all infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine, which protects against a virus that can cause severe liver disease.

Kennedy, who serves as the US health secretary and is a well-known critic of vaccines, has advocated for postponing the shot. Public health experts warn that any alteration to the hepatitis B schedule could have extensive implications. Research published in 2023 in the journal of the US surgeon general found a 99% decrease in reported acute hepatitis B cases among children, adolescents, and young adults from 1990 to 2019, directly linked to infant immunization.

Earlier this year, Kennedy replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine use, with appointees who share his perspective, including several vaccine skeptics. This week, the committee saw another leadership change: Dr. Martin Kulldorff stepped down to take a position within the Health and Human Services (HHS) department and was succeeded by Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a cardiologist critical of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The panel has already influenced policy decisions. In June, it endorsed a move to thimerosal-free influenza vaccines despite no evidence that the preservative is harmful. In September, the group supported switching from a single combined measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox vaccine to separate shots for each disease. The following day, the panel decided not to recommend prescriptions for Covid-19 vaccines.

ACIP can only provide recommendations to the CDCs acting director, Jim ONeill, who replaced Susan Monarez after her removal by the previous administration. Immunization rates for children in the US have been declining, partly due to increasing vaccine hesitancy intensified by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2025, the US reported significant measles outbreaks, and pertussis (whooping cough) cases remain high, particularly endangering infants and young children. Several fatalities from whooping cough have occurred this year in states including Kentucky, Louisiana, and Washington.

Author: Logan Reeves