Hep B Free (Formerly SF Hep B Free – Bay Area)urges hospitals, clinicians, and public-health agencies to continue the universal newborn hepatitis B (Hep B) birth-dose vaccine protocol in light of the December 5 federal advisory panel vote recommending a move toward “individualized decision-making” for infants born to mothers testing negative for hepatitis B.
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Newborns are most susceptible to becoming infected with the hepatitis B virus. For more than two decades, the CDC recommendation for all newborns to receive the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within the first day of life and to complete the vaccine series, has been acornerstone of the national strategy to eliminate hepatitis B. Since then, we have virtually eliminated acute and chronic hepatitis B infection in infants and children in this country and protectedthem from the risk of liver disease and liver cancer, and the stigma of living with a lifelong infectious disease. Hep B Freestresses that nothing has changed about the safety, effectiveness, or necessity of the vaccine – only the politics around it.
“Universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth is the gold standard,” said Hep B FreeExecutive Director Richard So. “It protects babies born to the estimated 15-20% of women who give birth every year who did not receive a prenatal hepatitis B screening test and are not aware of the risk of mother to child transmission of hepatitis B. It would also protect babies born to mothers without hepatitis B from becoming infected through contact with the blood or bodily fluid of infected persons. Removing or weakening the birth-dose recommendation puts families at risk and reverses years of public-health progress.” The group also notes that maternal antiviral treatment, while effective, does not replace the need for the newborn vaccine – both measures together provide the strongest protection against perinatal transmission.
Hep B Freecalls on all Bay Area birthing hospitals, pediatric providers, and public-health departments to maintain universal birth-dose vaccination practices, reinforce catch-up vaccination for children and adults, and continue outreach and education to communities facing disproportionate hepatitis B burden. “We cannot afford confusion. We cannot afford backsliding,” the organization said. “The science is clear. The vaccine works and is safe. Universal newborn hepatitis B immunization must remain the standard in San Francisco and across California.”
Contact:Richard So, Executive DirectorEmail:richard@hepbfree.net
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SOURCE Hep B Free
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