Fact-checking the CDC panel's reasons for dropping universal newborn hepatitis B vaccine recommendation

Since roughly 1991, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended all babies get a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The CDC committee that helps set vaccine policy voted Dec. 5 to overturn that decadeslong policy.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' new recommendations say mothers who tested negative for hepatitis B should discuss the need for the vaccine with their doctors. For babies who do not receive a birth dose, the committee suggested the initial vaccine dose be given "no earlier than 2 months of age."