Hepatitis B

The CDC has adopted the ACIP recommendation to end the universal hepatitis B birth dose, directing that only infants born to HBV‑positive mothers be vaccinated within 24 hours and that infants of mothers who test negative receive the first dose at two months or later after a clinician‑parent discussion — a change approved by acting CDC director Jim O’Neill following a contentious ACIP process under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appointees. ACIP also voted to recommend post‑shot antibody testing to potentially reduce the total number of doses, but the CDC is still reviewing that proposal, and public‑health experts warned the policy shift could increase preventable infant infections given screening gaps and the birth dose’s proven effectiveness.