WASHINGTON, D.C. — The CDC has formally ended its long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, a move that public health experts warn could reverse decades of progress against a preventable and potentially deadly disease.
The change was adopted Tuesday after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, reconstituted earlier this year by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., voted to limit the birth dose to infants whose mothers test positive for hepatitis B or whose infection status is unknown. Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill accepted the recommendation, making it official policy. Under the new guidance, other infants may delay vaccination until two months of age following consultation with health care providers.
Medical experts widely criticized the decision, noting that universal vaccination dramatically reduced pediatric hepatitis B infections after the policy was introduced in 1991. According to CDC data, acute hepatitis B cases among children fell by roughly 99% between 1990 and 2019. Because not all pregnant women are screened for hepatitis B and the virus can be transmitted during childbirth, universal vaccination has long been considered a critical safety net.
The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to recommend vaccination within 24 hours of birth, and major providers such as Kaiser Permanente and the Vaccines for Children program say they will keep offering the shot. Health officials also emphasized that insurance coverage for the vaccine will not change.
Public health leaders have raised broader concerns about the scientific rigor of recent CDC guidance, warning that weakening evidence-based recommendations risks undermining trust and could lead to preventable illness, liver disease, and cancer in the years ahead.
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