The United States government’s top-level vaccine panel has approved to repeal advice that newborn babies should be given a vaccine to prevent hepatitis B, a virus that can lead to chronic liver problems.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8 to 3 on Friday to overturn the medical advice, which has made hepatitis B vaccines a common component of post-natal care.
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Instead, the ACIP approved new guidance that advises parents who have no prior hepatitis B infection to discuss whether to give their children the vaccine.
Additionally, it continues to advise against pregnant women who have hepatitis B from distributing the vaccine.
The change was quickly denounced by medical professionals and even pharmaceutical companies, who warned that it might encourage parents to leave their kids without vaccinations.
Undersecretary of health and human services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the change is regarded as the biggest move to change US vaccination practices.
“Our country will define itself today. The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, Michael Osterholm, told the news agency Reuters, “We can no longer trust federal health authorities when it comes to vaccines.”
ACIP ignored decades of evidence that demonstrated its potent safety profile and efficacy when voted to ban the hepatitis B vaccine’s universal birth dose. More people with chronic liver disease and more hepatitis B infections will be affected by its decision.
He further stated that “parents and clinicians must ignore ACIP” if the organization continues to ignore the evidence regarding vaccine efficacy and safety.
Hepatitis B: What is it?
1.2 million people invent hepatitis B each year all over the world. The virus is also responsible for roughly 1.1 million deaths in 2022, according to the World Health Organization.
Children who share a toothbrush might be able to spread the virus through simple bodily fluid contact, which is where hepatitis B is found.
Infections are known to shorten life expectancy and lead to fatalities like liver cancer and cirrhosis, which are caused by tissue scarring.
The hepatitis B vaccine offers lifelong virus protection for the majority of people.
The three-dose regimen’s initial shot is typically given shortly after birth. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had previously advised that doctors give birth within 24 hours of the baby’s birth in order to maintain a healthy baby.
The first vaccination should occur 12 hours after birth, whichever comes first for a child who has a parent who has a hepatitis B test positive.
Prior to giving birth to a premature child, it was advised to wait a month before giving the first dose.
The infant typically receives its third and final dose before the infant reaches the age of 18.
Prior to Friday’s announcement, US government health experts had also advised all newborns to get shots. The vaccine itself has been available since the 1980s, and those guidelines have been in place for decades, dating back to 1991.
Changing medical advice
However, Kennedy has pushed for a revision of vaccination laws since joining President Donald Trump’s second-term cabinet.
The younger Kennedy is an environmental lawyer and former presidential candidate who gained notoriety as a vaccine sceptic. He is the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
He has been accused of spreading vaccine conspiracy theories despite repeatedly claiming he is not “anti-vaccine.”
For instance, he claimed that the COVID-19 shot was the “deadliest vaccine ever made” when speaking to a group of Louisiana politicians in 2021. He also published an article in 2005 disproving a widely discredited theory in favor of vaccines for autism and other neurological disorders. The publishers of that article later retracted it.
Despite having no prior medical background, Kennedy was appointed as Trump’s health and human services secretary in February. The position is in charge of a number of health and welfare organizations, including the CDC, the FDA, and Medicaid.
The US government quickly altered its approach to some vaccines under his leadership.
For instance, the FDA’s guidance on who should take the COVID-19 vaccine was constrained in August. Only people with health conditions or those over the age of 65 were advised to get the vaccine.
Critics warned that changes could force younger people to get a prescription and pay out of pocket for the preventive care. They would also limit the COVID-19 vaccine’s availability.
Under his leadership, the CDC removed assurances from its website that vaccines don’t cause autism last month.
In addition, he has changed the guidelines for vaccine development and cut back on government funding for research into the mRNA vaccines, which are the foundation of the COVID-19 vaccination.
Shake-up at ACIP
However, one of Kennedy’s most notable changes was the ACIP, a panel that has been in charge of vaccines since 1964.
The 17-member committee was replaced by people who, according to Kennedy, are largely sceptical of vaccination or have little prior research experience.
Kennedy argued that the panel’s mass firing was necessary to maintain its independence and defend “unbiased science.”
He stated in a statement that “today we are placing the restoration of public trust before any particular pro- or anti-vaccine agenda.”
However, Kennedy’s own beliefs were replaced by those who lacked trust, according to public health experts, who expressed outrage.
Despite the panel’s altercation, the panel’s members were still divided on how to change the hepatitis B vaccine recommendation.
Since September, there have been two delays in voting on the subject. One ACIP member, paediatrics professor Cody Meissner, cited the medical obligation to “do no harm” during the vote on Friday.
By changing this wording, we are harming ourselves. And he cast his ballot, saying “no”
However, the majority of the ACIP panel ultimately voted in favor of the change, citing the “flexibility” it provided for new parents. However, the CDC’s recommendations were not legally binding in the past.
Concerned about the uncertainty that the change would bring, industry groups expressed grave concerns.
The American Pharmacists Association stated in a statement that “the science is clear: the hepatitis B birth dose saves lives, and there is no new evidence to support delaying or removing this essential protection.”
Thomas Frieden, a former director of the CDC, urged the public to oppose the change.
“No one should accept this misguided and dangerous recommendation,” he wrote. “Now obstetricians, pediatricians, insurers, state health departments, and others should stand up for fact-based care, protect our children, and not mess with success.”
Source: Aljazeera
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