Key US Expert Group to Cast Ballots on Changing Infant Hepatitis B Vaccine Advisory
Following a hold-up and an unusually contentious session, a federal vaccine advisory panel was scheduled to decide on Friday on whether to change the long-held guideline that each baby be immunized against hepatitis B.
Intense Discussion and a Delayed Ballot
The first day of the conference on Thursday was defined by fiery discussion over limiting availability to the hepatitis B vaccine for babies and a decision to postpone the decision by a day to give members more time to scrutinize the phrasing. The group, which counsels the national health agency on vaccine use, had previously delayed on two occasions.
“Is there any specific evidence of injury of giving this shot before 30 days? Or is this speculation?” asked one panel member.
In answer, another member stated, “There is inadequate data about the enduring danger.”
Existing Recommendations and Likely Ramifications
The injection is currently suggested for all infants within 24 hours of delivery to halt contraction of hepatitis B, which can result in significant hepatic injury. It has been administered to over a billion individuals for more than three decades.
The Atlanta conference presented no fresh data of damage attributable to the vaccine. Experts say any modification to the present hepatitis B vaccine regimen could have significant and far-reaching repercussions for pediatric well-being in the United States.
Group Membership and Latest Shifts
The expert committee can only offer guidance to the director of the CDC. The committee's composition has seen shifts in recent days, with the statement that the panel's latest chairman would depart for an agency job and be replaced by a heart specialist who has been critical of other immunizations.
The board includes several immunization doubters who support a desire to overhaul – and possibly, in some cases, eliminate – traditional immunization guidelines.
