Maryland health officials highlight importance of hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns

The Maryland Department of Health is highlighting the importance of the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns, despite a recent vote to change the recommendation for when children should get their first dose.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel voted to recommend delaying the vaccine until a child is two months old, rather than 24 hours, if they are born to mothers who test negative for hepatitis B.

"I think we all know that the hepatitis B vaccine has been tested extensively for safety and efficacy for decades, and when administered within 24 hours of birth, it is highly effective in preventing newborn infection," said Dr. Meg Sullivan, the Deputy Secretary of Public Health Services at Maryland Department of Health.

For decades, the federal government has advised vaccinating all babies at birth to protect them from liver infections, which medical experts say is guidance that research shows has cut the infection rate by 99%. 

Sullivan said the Maryland Department of Health will take steps to make sure the vaccine is still available in the state, and they will support the guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which still recommends that every newborn receive a hepatitis B vaccine. 

"The thing that I will say, though, that I think is important is that here at the Department of Health and across the state, we are committed to ensuring widespread access and, you know, taking very specific steps today to ensure that the vaccine is still available, and that we are going to continue to support the current guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics that still recommends that every newborn receives a hepatitis B vaccine," Sullivan said.

Vote to change hepatitis B vaccinations

The CDC panel voted in an 8-3 decision to let parents decide when or if their children should receive the vaccine in consultation with a health care provider.

According to CBS News, many medical experts and organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, opposed the change, claiming it will leave young children at risk of an infection that can cause lifelong illness. 

The agency points to decades of research confirming the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, CBS News reports.

CBS News reports that the CDC's vaccine advisory panel consists of members all appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

"The most effective way to protect yourself against the hepatitis B infection is the hepatitis B vaccine," Sullivan said. "In fact, if you look at the data, the number of infections that we have seen in this country from hepatitis B, from the time universal newborn vaccinations got into effect, the number of infections has gone down dramatically."

What is hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that causes inflammation in the liver, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It's considered to be the most common liver infection in the world, impacting an estimated 254 people.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, hepatitis B can be a brief illness that may not cause symptoms and go away without treatment. Or, the virus could be chronic, or long-term, and could lead to cirrhosis and liver failure.

There is no cure for hepatitis B, but there are medications that can make the virus inactive, meaning the virus won't spread, the Cleveland Clinic says.

The Cleveland Clinic says you can get hepatitis B if you're exposed to bodily fluids from someone who has the virus, including amniotic fluid during pregnancy.