ALF Statement of Hep B Vaccine

Statement of American Liver Foundation (ALF)
Quotes for attribution to ALF Board Chair Emmanuel Thomas, MD, PhD, FAASLD

American Liver Foundation (ALF) is disappointed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially ended the highly effective and long-standing recommendation that all U.S. newborns receive the universal hepatitis B (hep B) birth dose. The new recommendation is for  parents, in consultation with a healthcare provider, to decide whether infants born to hepatitis B-negative mothers should get the vaccine, including the birth dose. If parents choose not to vaccinate their newborn at birth, but feel vaccination is warranted, the agency now recommends that they wait at least two months to get the child a first dose of the vaccine.

The universal hep B birth dose has reduced infant hep B infections by 95% since its inception in 1991. It prevented an estimated 90,100 infant deaths – the fourth highest number of deaths prevented among all recommended childhood immunizations. Without strong national guidance, vaccine access becomes inconsistent and dependent upon out-of-pocket costs, provider discretion, and/or insurance status. A recent study found that childhood hep B vaccinations prevented over six million infections and nearly one million hospitalizations in less than 30 years.

ALF disagrees with both the ACIP Committee recommendation and the CDC decision which will put thousands of children at risk for the virus. Without vaccination, as many as 9 in 10 infants infected with hep B in their first year of life will develop a chronic infection that can lead to liver failure and death.

The stakes could not be higher. Infants infected with hep B at birth face up to a 90% risk of developing chronic infection, and nearly one in four of those children will die prematurely from liver failure or liver cancer. 

There are over 100 types of liver disease and hep B is one of them. Hep B is inflammation of the liver and is a viral infection that presents in blood and bodily fluids. When the body’s immune system responds to this virus it can damage liver cells.

The hep B vaccine has been proven to be safe over many decades of administration and vaccination is very effective at preventing hep B transmission. To truly eliminate chronic diseases like hep B, we must use all the available tools to their fullest extent, including the universal hep B vaccine at birth. 

[1] Why Hepatitis B Vaccination Begins at Birth | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
[2] Why Hepatitis B Vaccination Begins at Birth | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health
[3] Hepatitis B: Symptoms & Treatment