PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Health, joined by other state and regional health care leaders, issued a statement urging parents to continue vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B, opposing a recent change in federal guidelines.
The health department “continues to firmly recommend that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine birth dose within 24 hours of delivery, regardless of the hepatitis B infection status of the birth parent, and that all children complete the full vaccination series within 18 months,” the state health agency said in an advisory released earlier this month.
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On Dec. 16, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend “individual-based decision-making” for hepatitis B-negative parents considering the vaccinations, including a birth dose, for their infants. With the change, the CDC says that infants who do not receive a birth dose should receive their first hepatitis B immunization “no earlier than 2 months of age.”
For decades, the government agency had endorsed universal vaccination at birth. The CDC did not provide new data or information to justify the change, RIDOH notes, and the reversal in guidance has met staunch opposition from state and regional health officials.
In RIDOH’s advisory, leaders from the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Northeast Public Health Collaborative joined the statewide agency’s call to uphold the previous vaccination guidance.
“The hepatitis B vaccine birth dose helps prevent a lifelong, potentially fatal, chronic infection, which can lead to serious liver disease and liver cancer later in life,” said Dr. Jerry Larkin, director of the R.I. Department of Health. “The hepatitis B vaccine has been tested extensively for safety, and we know that it works.”
Since 1991, when health agencies first issued a recommendation for all newborns to receive the vaccination, hepatitis B infections among children and teenagers dropped by 99%, Larkin noted.
“No matter what is happening at the federal level, in Rhode Island, vaccine policy will continue to be grounded in science, data and facts,” he said.
Dr. Michael Koster, vice president of the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement that “the birth dose is a simple, effective way to protect newborns from a serious infection and promote lifelong health.”
Koster added, “Ensuring vaccine access at birth helps every baby, no matter their background, have the same opportunity to start life healthy. Strengthening access keeps our communities safe, resilient and thriving.”
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
