WACO, Texas (KWTX) – The CDC has pulled back its decades-old recommendation of vaccinating all newborns against the hepatitis B virus following an 8-3 vote by its advisory committee.
The new guidance encourages parents to wait at least two months before considering the vaccine if their baby has a low risk of contracting the virus. The previous recommendation called for all newborn babies to receive the hepatitis B vaccination on the day they are born.
CDC board member urges caution over newborn immune systems
CDC Advisory Board member Dr. Retsef Levi said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution regarding the impacts of vaccines in newborn children.
“We don’t know the exact potential impact of exposure to vaccines, but we do know that their immune system is not fully developed, their metabolism is not fully developed, their brain is not fully developed, and we know that all of these systems are interacting with each other,” Levi said.
“I suggest to parents to be very suspicious when people tell them that something is safe. Especially a vaccine,” he said.
Levi is one of eight board members appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Local doctor calls decision ‘destructive to public health’
Dr. Tim Martindale of Martindale Family Medicine in Waco said the current board lacks the experience to make these recommendations.
“I think it’s a very poor choice, a very uninformed choice, a very destructive choice to public health,” Martindale said. “I think it’s going to cause illnesses and death in the United States and, of course, the world.”
Martindale said hepatitis B is extremely transmissible from pregnant mothers to newborn infants, with 90 percent of newborn babies contracting hepatitis B if left unvaccinated while their mother has the virus.
“The number one method of transmission is through mother to baby during birth,” Martindale said. “If you give the birth day vaccine to them it basically always stops the virus.”
He said the previous guidance was carefully thought through and scientifically proven to minimize transmission risk.
New guidance maintains exception for high-risk cases
The new guidance still encourages mothers testing positive for hepatitis B to have their children vaccinated at birth. However, Levi said transmission is not the only factor parents should consider.
“Do you want to expose your baby to an intervention that could have potential harms when the risk is so low,” Levi said.
Dr. William Glomb of Waco Family Medicine said the decision is ultimately up to parents, but expressed concerns about newborn immune system readiness.
“We don’t know that a baby’s immune system is ready to receive that immunization and build up an antibody response within those first few hours of life,” Glomb said.
“I would never beat anybody up for either decision,” Glomb said. “All we can do is give them the facts and help them come to the right conclusions.”
Martindale said he will not change his recommendation of the vaccine for newborns. He said the change will make more people hesitant to vaccinate their children and recommended parents talk with their doctor for the most accurate information.
“Talk with your physician. Interact for the best plan for your baby,” Martindale said. “Know that your doctor cares about your baby and wants them to be safe and protected.”
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