Crucial US Advisory Committee to Decide on Altering Infant Hepatitis B Vaccine Advisory
Following a delay and a remarkably divisive gathering, a national immunization advisory committee was scheduled to decide on Friday concerning altering the long-held guideline that every infant be inoculated against hepatitis B.
Heated Debate and a Delayed Ballot
The opening session of the assembly on Thursday was characterized by heated debate over restricting access to the hepatitis B vaccine for infants and a resolution to defer the vote by a day to allow panelists additional time to examine the language. The group, which advises the national health agency on vaccine use, had twice before postponed.
“Is there any concrete proof of damage of giving this shot before 30 days? Or is this speculation?” questioned one panel member.
In response, another participant stated, “There is inadequate data about the prolonged hazard.”
Current Guidelines and Possible Consequences
The vaccine is currently recommended for every newborn within 24 hours of birth to stop transmission of hepatitis B, which can result in major damage to the liver. It has been administered to 1.4 billion people for in excess of thirty years.
The Atlanta conference presented no new evidence of damage attributable to the vaccine. Experts say any modification to the current hepatitis B vaccination schedule could have profound and widespread implications for infant and child health in the United States.
Group Membership and New Appointments
The expert committee can only offer guidance to the leader of the CDC. The committee's composition has experienced alterations recently, with the declaration that the panel's latest chairman would leave for an formal position and be substituted with a heart specialist who has been questioning of other immunizations.
The board includes a number of vaccination critics who are in agreement with a goal to reform – and perhaps, in some cases, scrap – traditional immunization guidelines.
