Key US Panel to Cast Ballots on Altering Baby Hepatitis B Vaccine Guideline
Following a hold-up and a particularly heated session, a government vaccine expert group was set to cast ballots on Friday on whether to change the long-held guideline that each baby be inoculated against hepatitis B.
Heated Debate and a Delayed Ballot
The initial day of the assembly on Thursday was defined by intense argument over restricting access to the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns and a decision to defer the vote by a day to give members more time to review the wording. The group, which advises the CDC on vaccine use, had previously delayed on two occasions.
“Is there any definitive data of damage of giving this vaccination before 30 days? Or is this theory?” questioned one panel member.
In reply, another member stated, “There is scant proof about the enduring danger.”
Current Guidelines and Possible Consequences
The injection is currently recommended for each baby within 24 hours of delivery to halt contraction of hepatitis B, which can lead to serious liver damage. It has been given to 1.4 billion people for more than three decades.
The meeting in Atlanta presented no fresh data of damage attributable to the vaccine. Specialists note any change to the existing hepatitis B vaccination schedule could have significant and far-reaching implications for infant and child health in the United States.
Committee Makeup and Recent Changes
The consultative group can only provide advice to the leader of the CDC. The panel's membership has undergone changes recently, with the declaration that the committee’s most recent chair would step down for an agency job and be substituted with a cardiologist who has been critical of other immunizations.
The panel includes several vaccination critics who are in agreement with a goal to reform – and possibly, in some cases, abolish – long-established immunization guidelines.
