CDC Panel Recommends 'Individual-Based Decision-Making' For Most Hep. B Vaccines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8-3 on Friday to recommend "individual-based decision-making for parents deciding whether to give the hepatitis B vaccine, including the birth dose, to infants born to women who test negative for the virus."

The Details: The committee emphasized the importance of awareness to infection risks and exposure possibilities, and it assured that the recommendation would "maintain consistency of coverage for all payment mechanisms." The revision requires approval from Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill, who said, "The American people have benefited from the committee's well-informed, rigorous discussion about the appropriateness of a vaccination in the first few hours of life." The previous recommendation, since 1991, was for all infants to be vaccinated at birth. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is skeptical of some vaccines, replaced all ACIP members in June.

The Media Release: ACIP recommended "that parents and health care providers should consider vaccine benefits, vaccine risks, and infection risks." The release also highlighted a September vote that recommended all pregnant women – 0.5% of whom reportedly test positive for the hepatitis B surface antigen in the US – be tested for the virus. It noted that the recommendation was preceded by "presentations to ACIP on the hepatitis B disease burden, vaccine safety, and comparative nation immunization policies as well as briefings from representatives of the vaccine manufacturers." 

How The Media Covered It: Politico (Lean Left bias) said the recommendation "fulfill[ed] a longtime priority of the anti-vaccine movement." It quoted ACIP member Joseph Hibbeln, who said, "This has a great potential to cause harm," along with several other opponents of the revision. The outlet did not quote any supporters. Wall Street Journal (Center) gave voice to supporters and opponents alike but said, "This vote is one of several times in the past year that [ACIP] has strayed from aligning its recommendations with those from leading medical societies and doctors." The outlet also noted that the virus is "highly transmissible, and many people may not know they have it." Washington Examiner (Lean Right) said the universal recommendation was set "in part because more targeted interventions toward population groups most at risk, namely intravenous drug users, homosexual men, and certain immigrant groups, were unsuccessful in lowering infection rates." The outlet specifically highlighted Republican intra-party division on the matter. 

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