source:- CNN
This week, the federal advisory panel that sets the childhood vaccine schedule will meet to talk about one of the first shots that newborns get. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet on December 4 and 5 to talk about the future of the hepatitis B birth dose. Members will hear from the public and may even vote on a change to long-standing advice.
The meeting is one of the most important things the panel has done since Health
and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. changed its membership
earlier this year. Kennedy, a well-known figure in the anti-vaccine movement
and the founder of Children's Health Defense, fired all seventeen original
committee members soon after taking office and replaced them with a new group
that includes several people who are against current immunization policies. The
shakeup has caused alarm in the medical community, which sees the latest
discussions as a test of the administration's larger plans for vaccine policy.
The main point of contention is whether to put off the first dose of the Hepatitis B Birth Dose vaccine, which is usually given within the first 24 hours of life.
The current recommendation has been in place since 1991 and is credited with
dramatically reducing the spread of the virus among infants and adolescents.
When a mother gives birth, she can pass on hepatitis B to her child. This can
lead to a lifelong infection that raises the risk of liver failure, cirrhosis,
and cancer. A study from 2023 that was published in the official journal of the
U.S. Surgeon General found that infections in children have dropped by 99%
since the three-dose regimen was put in place.
Public health officials say that the program's success is directly linked to
the birth dose. This is because it gives babies a crucial first layer of
protection and makes up for any gaps in maternal testing or mistakes in
paperwork. Dr. Phil Huang, who runs the Dallas County Health and Human Services
department, said it was the best way to stop people from getting chronic
hepatitis B later in life. Huang and other experts say that any delay, even for
babies born to mothers who test negative for the virus, could undo decades of
hard work.
The policy was looked at again in September, when the newly formed panel had
its first big debate. During that meeting, members talked about a plan to put
off the first dose for at least one month for babies whose mothers do not have Hepatitis B Birth Dose . After a lot of pushback from pediatricians and infectious disease
specialists who said that changing the schedule would remove protections
against testing mistakes and rare but serious missed diagnoses, the vote was
put off. The proposal is back on the table, but committee chair Kirk Milhoan
has said that the exact details of any possible delay are still up in the air.
The uncertainty has made things tense for Thursday's meeting. Medical groups,
public health departments, and advocacy groups are getting ready to make
statements asking the panel to stick to the current schedule. A lot of people
are worried that a change would send mixed messages to parents and hurt trust
in vaccines in general. Others say that hepatitis B infections in young
children often go unnoticed for years, so the effects of relaxing the rules may
not be clear until long after the rules are changed.
People who want to wait say that the decision should be based on what parents
want and the fact that babies born to mothers who test negative during
pregnancy are less likely to be exposed. Critics say that the current strategy
was made to stop cases that happen because of false negatives, late infections,
or missed tests during labor.
Federal officials have not said whether any recommendation would be put into
effect right away or if it would be looked at again before being put into
effect. It's clear that the debate marks a big change in the country's vaccine
policy. Many experts think that the outcome will not only decide the future of
the hepatitis B birth dose, but also how much scientific authority the advisory
committee plans to keep under its new leadership.
Also Read :- World Care Magazine For more information