Vicky Pebsworth

Stories

US hepatitis B birth-dose policy upended by new vaccine advisory panel

As of May 2026: Key internal proponent of revising the birth-dose recommendation

In December 2025, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 8–3 to end the universal recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of birth. The committee was reconstituted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On December 16, 2025, Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill formally adopted the recommendation.

Updated May 10

ACIP moves to end universal hepatitis B shots at birth

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Led policy context and international comparison for hepatitis B schedule

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8–3 on December 5, 2025 to end the recommendation that every U.S. newborn receive a hepatitis B shot within 24 hours of birth. The committee had been recently overhauled under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill ratified the change on December 16, 2025.

Updated May 9

Notable Quotes

Pebsworth told the panel that 'infants born to mothers who test negative have extremely low risk of horizontal infection and therefore do not need to be routinely vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.'

from US hepatitis B birth-dose policy upended by new vaccine advisory panel · Updated May 10

Pebsworth’s briefing emphasized that the U.S. universal hepatitis B birth dose made the country an outlier among developed nations with low endemicity, bolstering arguments for a more targeted approach.

from ACIP moves to end universal hepatitis B shots at birth · Updated May 9