A panel of experts appointed by the US Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, decided on Friday (5) that vaccination against hepatitis B is no longer recommended for newborns.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) resolution was adopted by a vote of eight to three, contradicting the opinion of many doctors.
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It must now be complied with by federal authorities and will end the country’s current prevention policy, which has been in place for more than 30 years.
According to the new guidelines, giving the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, three in total, in the first minutes of life will only be recommended for individuals whose mothers are carriers of the disease.
If the mother’s test result is negative, the committee recommends that parents consult a doctor to determine “whether and when the child should be vaccinated.”
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President Donald Trump called the move a “very good decision” on his platform Social Truth.
Previously, the recommendation was universal vaccination immediately after birth to prevent transmission between mother and child, if the mother unknowingly had a disease. Hepatitis B has been virtually eliminated in young people in the United States through this practice.
But this change was immediately denounced by medical associations.
“This irresponsible and intentionally misleading recommendation will lead to more cases of hepatitis B in infants and children,” Susan J. Chrisley, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement.
Three members of the committee also opposed this measure, noting that there were no elements that would justify any benefit from the change.
– Not doing harm is a moral duty. “By changing the wording of this recommendation, we are doing a disservice,” warned Cody Misner before the vote, one of the few dissenting voices on the committee, which Kennedy Jr. had completely reorganized.
Hepatitis B is a viral liver disease that can be transmitted sexually or through blood, putting those infected at risk of death from cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Under Kennedy Jr.’s direction, the ACIP committee is made up of people often criticized by the scientific community for lacking expertise or for spreading theories that encourage vaccine denial.