ATLANTA — A CDC advisory group is meeting in Atlanta to review childhood vaccine schedules including whether the Hepatitis B vaccine should continue to be recommended for newborns.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) first recommended in 1991 that infants receive their first Hepatitis B shot within hours of birth as part of a nationwide effort to prevent transmission.
The vaccine is a three-dose series, with the second dose between 1 and 2 months of age, and the final dose between 6 and 18 months.
During Thursday’s session, the panel is discussing whether to remove the long-standing “birth dose” recommendation or push it to a later age, a change that would significantly shift current vaccination practices. A vote on the Hepatitis B recommendation is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST Thursday.
The ACIP meeting began at 8 a.m. EST and continues on Friday, December 5. For the first time, the event is being held inside a broadcast studio at CDC headquarters rather than a large conference venue, signaling increased media interest in the proceedings.
The panel is led by newly appointed chair Dr. Kirk Milhoan, one of five ACIP members added in September by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The meeting is being livestreamed on the CDC website.
WSB Radio’s Sabrina Cupit contributed to this story.
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