HHS vaccine advisory panel to determine hepatitis B vaccine scheduling for children

The Department of Health and Human Services' Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting on Thursday to determine the scheduling of hepatitis B vaccine for children.

The vaccine advisory panel will debate and possibly delay the vaccine for the hepatitis B virus, USA Today reported. The committee is meeting on Thursday and Friday to debate changes to the immunization schedule for newborns and young children, which calls for routine vaccines at set intervals. The vaccines included in the schedule are those for polio, measles, and whooping cough.

On Thursday, the panel is set to discuss the hepatitis B vaccine, collect public comments, and vote.

According to a 2023 study in the official journal of the U.S. Surgeon General, since the current three-dose regimen was adopted in 1991, hepatitis B infections among children and teens have dropped 99%, preventing thousands of chronic hepatitis cases that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

It is unclear if or how long the committee will recommend postponing the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, but chairman Kirk Milhoan said that the timing of the delay in the first dose is "still being finalized."

President Trump said in September that hepatitis B is often sexually transmitted, so the vaccine should be delayed until age 12.

The committee on Friday will more broadly discuss vaccine policy, including the childhood and adolescent immunization schedule, as well as address the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine monitoring and vaccine "adjuvants and contaminants."

While the panel makes recommendations on vaccinations, it does not have regulatory authority to force immunization changes. However, states often require vaccinations as a condition of attending school.

If the committee changes vaccination recommendations, some states and insurance companies that pay for vaccines might choose to change policies.