Hepatitis B Cases Could Surge Under New Vaccine Guidelines, Study Finds
Delaying the newborn hepatitis B vaccine by even a couple of months would have detrimental effects at a population level, new models show.
Hepatitis B, a virus that can cause lifelong liver damage and even cancer, could see a substantial rise in cases in the U.S. if new vaccine guidelines are implemented, a new study warns. The CDC, under the Trump Administration, recently reversed its recommendation to vaccinate all newborns for hepatitis B, stating that parents and doctors should make a "shared decision-making" decision about when to administer the first dose.
A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine used computer modeling to simulate the impact of this change on the U.S. population. The researchers found that if only 26% of children received the first dose of the vaccine, chronic hepatitis B cases could increase by a staggering 225%. Early infection can lead to a 25% chance of developing liver cancer later in life.
While the American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends vaccination at birth, the study suggests that delayed vaccination could have significant public health consequences.
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