CDC Vaccine Advisors Table Hepatitis B Vaccine Vote, Keeps Current Policy in Place

This morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to table their vote on whether to recommend a change to the hepatitis B (HBV) immunization schedule for neonates from its current date of birth timeline and move it back to 30 days after birth. With the decision to not vote on this, the ongoing recommendation stays in place.

ACIP Panelist member Robert Malone, MD, asked for a motion to table the vote indefinitely, due to uncertainty around the vaccine’s safety. The motion was approved and all 12 members voted yes to table the recommendation.

“It is important for everyone to know, no vaccine is 100% safe or 100% effective,” ACIP panelist Cody Meissner, MD. “Regarding Dr. Malone’s comments, it is very difficult to prove the absence of harm.”

In speaking to the panel and the greater audience watching the proceedings, Meissner reminded everyone of the value of the HBV vaccines. “The benefits far outweigh the side effects,” he said.

Association liaison and meeting attendee Amy Middleman, MD, echoed Meissner’s comments. “No intervention is completely safe,” she said. "There is a risk to walking across the street. It is easy to get distracted to see what one study said.” Middleman stressed the need for grading of studies and data.

It is important to note, during yesterday's ACIP meeting, no evidence or data was presented to suggest a safety concern or a need to move the timing of the HBV immunization back.

In yesterday’s CDC ACIP presentation, Adam Langer, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, associate director for Science, National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, discussed birth dose HBV vaccination. His presentation covered the burden of disease, including the number of people who have it, the health issues associated with it, and mortality rates.

Langer said the sooner the vaccine is given, the lesser the chances of mother-to-child transmission can occur. He also said the virus can remain viable for 7 days on environmental surfaces at room temperature and raised concerns around household transmission. He said adverse events are typically mild.

This morning, further debate revolved around these meetings. Association liaison and meeting attendee Jason Goldman, MD, asked about the process and whether they would be using work groups on data collection. He asked how ACIP was going to vet all vaccines going forward and he wanted the committee to present that process to the public.

Learn more: Amidst Confusion, and Delayed Hepatitis B Vaccine Vote, CDC ACIP Votes to Restrict Measles Combination Vaccine

Pregnant Women Getting Tested for HBV

Separately, the committee also voted unanimously, (12-0), to recommend all women get tested for hepatitis B infection. Before this vote, this was already in place. CDC had previously recommended all pregnant patients be screened for HBV.¹

ACIP Chair Martin Kulldorff, PhD, said the vote was looking to move HBV testing closer to 100%.

According to CDC, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) testing has been quite high already. “In 2013 and 2014, approximately 88% of commercially insured women and 84% of Medicaid-enrolled women were tested for HBsAg during pregnancy,” CDC writes on its website.¹

This article is part of an ongoing series looking at the ACIP's meetings and the effects they will have on American vaccine policy.

Reference
1.Clinical Guidance for Perinatal Hepatitis B Testing. CDC. January 31, 2025. Accessed September 19, 2025.
https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis-b/hcp/perinatal-provider-overview/clinical-testing-guidelines.html