How will hepatitis B vaccination change for families?<\/p>\n
Major medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> and the American Academy of Family Physicians<\/a>, as well as state health leaders in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are rejecting these arguments and the proposed changes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to follow evidence-based recommendations that have kept our communities safe for decades,\u201d Acting New Jersey Health Commissioner Jeff Brown said in a statement. \u201cThe hepatitis B vaccine has been safely given to millions of newborns and delaying it unnecessarily puts children at risk from an entirely preventable disease.\u201d<\/p>\n In her nearly 30-year career in medicine, Richards-Rowley, who is vice president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said issues or pushback against the hepatitis B vaccine from families were rare until about two years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely post-COVID, we have been seeing a larger and larger proportion of people saying no to the hepatitis B vaccine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Misinformation and disinformation about all kinds of vaccines on social media and from leading government officials like RFK are playing a part, said Richards-Rowley, who added that a majority of families still support and get routine vaccines.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t give anybody else\u2019s child a vaccine that I wouldn\u2019t give my own child or I wouldn\u2019t take myself,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I had any thought, any concern, I wouldn\u2019t give it. But I\u2019ve done the research and I\u2019ve had the education and I know that these are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, access to hepatitis B vaccinations has not changed, Richards-Rowley said.<\/p>\n