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CDC Panel Votes to Scale Back Infant Hepatitis B Vaccine

Published 1 day ago

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Above: Members of the CDC vaccine advisory panel at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 5, 2025. Image credit: Megan Varner/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Allowing parents and doctors to decide on the Hep B birth dose protects children by matching care to actual risk. With only 0.5% of mothers testing positive and tests 100% accurate, most newborns face minimal danger. This shift promotes informed consent, real safety review and focuses resources on families who truly need protection.

Children’s Health Defense Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Pro-establishment narrative

Ending the universal Hep B birth dose ignores decades of evidence. A safe, proven vaccine drove newborn infections from 20,000 a year to under 20. Delaying it increases the odds that children slip through the cracks and cases rise. Weakening a successful, science-based policy needlessly risks Americans' health.

The New York Times

Bill Cassidy on X