Hepatitis B Foundation President Discusses Hepatitis B Birth Dose Recommendation

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted on Friday to modify a decades-long recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B (HBV) vaccine at birth. The vote marked the first major revision to the newborn hepatitis B vaccination recommendation in more than 3 decades. The panel voted 8–3 to recommend individual-based decision-making for parents deciding whether to give the HBV, including the birth dose, to infants born to women who test negative for the virus.^1,2

Speaking about the vote, Chari A. Cohen, DrPH, MPH, president of the Hepatitis B Foundation, stated that clinicians have decades of data supporting established recommendations. "This is a challenging time for clinicians, and it might make it harder to help parents make decisions about vaccines, but we do have a very strong evidence base that physicians can use to help parents make vaccination decisions," Cohen said. Her advice for primary care physicians on how to navigate conversations with parents on the choice to vaccinate their newborn, above.

References:

1. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) - December 5, 2025 - Day 2 of 2. YouTube. December 5, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/live/kUgXRUpKal4
2. Halsey G. ACIP Votes to Modify Decades-Long Hepatitis B Birth Dose Recommendation. Patient Care Online. December 5, 2025. Accessed December 5, 2025. https://www.patientcareonline.com/view/acip-votes-to-modify-decades-long-hepatitis-b-birth-dose-recommendation