CDC Looks at a Big Change in Childhood Vaccinations

The CDC's vaccine advisory panel, now led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointees, will vote to stop recommending the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, marking a major shift in US immunization policy, the Washington Post reports. Members will vote to alter the longstanding policy on Thursday, Kirk Milhoan, the panel's new chair and a critic of COVID vaccines, tells the outlet. Meanwhile, a preprint study shows delaying hepatitis B vaccinations for infants by just two months would cause more than 1,400 babies to become chronically infected within one year, ultimately resulting in nearly 500 hepatitis B-related deaths, per STAT News.

The hepatitis B birth dose is credited with a 99% drop in childhood infections since the CDC began recommending it for newborns in 1991. Critics, including RFK Jr., argue it's unnecessary for most infants. The panel is also set to examine whether the childhood vaccine schedule might be linked to rising rates of allergies and autoimmune disorders—a claim disputed by most medical experts. Milhoan says the panel is looking into whether there are "factors within vaccines" that might be "causing some of the long-term changes we're seeing in population data in children," per the Post. He mentions the use of aluminum as an adjuvant, which the CDC has said has been safely used to help trigger an immune response for more than 70 years.

Public health experts suspect the panel, which guides CDC policy and insurance coverage, wants to get rid of aluminum adjuvants, which could take years and cost billions of dollars. However, Milhoan stresses there's no current push to remove aluminum from vaccines. That decision is ultimately up to the FDA. The panel's review comes amid broader turmoil at the CDC, with several officials resigning or claiming they were forced out as the agency shifts under Kennedy's influence. The committee has faced accusations of undermining vaccine science, but Milhoan insists the goal is to better weigh underplayed risks.