CDC move to stop recommending hepatitis B vaccine could lead to hundreds of infections: research
Researchers found that delaying the hepatitis B birth dose could add more than 1,000 infant infections when coverage falls to 10%, according to the model.
- A new Cornell University study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics warns that delaying the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine increases infant infections and significantly reduces survival rates and quality of life for newborns.
- In December 2025, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to delay the first hepatitis B dose for infants whose birth parent tests negative for HBV, reversing a 2018 recommendation to vaccinate all infants within 24 hours of birth.
- Modeling by Noele Nelson projected costs ranging from $16 million to $370 million depending on vaccination schedules; when coverage dropped to 10%, the model projected more than 1,000 additional infections versus just over 100 at 80% coverage.
- Infectious disease expert Rachel Epstein cautions that marginal reductions in birth-dose coverage disproportionately increase transmission risks among unscreened infants, while epidemiologist Margaret Lind noted lower coverage leads to increased infections even under optimistic screening assumptions.
- Reviewing four decades of data, Nelson found no evidence of serious adverse reactions including seizures or mortality, concluding "we don't find any advantage in delaying the first dose" and favoring universal birth vaccination.
14 Articles
14 Articles
CDC's new hepatitis B vaccine recommendations will cause more infant infections, studies find
Delaying first dose of hepatitis B vaccine could lead to hundreds of new infant infections, research says. The new studies also show the CDC's hep B vaccine recommendations will lead to $20 million in extra health care costs.
CDC-Backed Delay for Hep B Shots Could Result in Hundreds of Infant Infections, Studies Find
Two new studies published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) demonstrate that delaying hepatitis B vaccines for newborns, as outlined in guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this year, will likely lead to hundreds of additional infections each year, resulting in millions of dollars in lifetime costs. Source
Do newborns need the hepatitis B vaccine? New studies show cost of delaying shot
Two studies published Monday estimated that ending universal hepatitis B vaccination for newborns could result in tens to hundreds of preventable infections and millions in additional healthcare costs. The analyses, published in JAMA Pediatrics, were conducted by two separate research groups. Both were modeling studies — meaning they used mathematical simulations to estimate outcomes under different scenarios rather than tracking real-world case…
Researchers Estimate Scaling Back Hepatitis B Vaccination Would Lead to More Infections
Removing the universal hepatitis B vaccine dose for newborns would lead to more infections and deaths, according to two new studies released on April 27. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in December 2025 said it was no longer recommending that infants born to women who tested negative for hepatitis B receive a dose shortly after birth, although the agency maintained the recommended dose for all other newborns. The update is on hold…
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