US investigating hepatitis B vaccine for newborns

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US investigating hepatitis B vaccine for newborns
Photo: Rebecca Noble/AP/TT

Experts appointed by vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy are to investigate whether it is appropriate to give the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns in the United States. Doctors warn of the risks of dropping current recommendations.

The ACIP expert group will today decide whether the hepatitis B vaccine should no longer be given to infants.

Since Kennedy took office, reviews of many vaccines have been initiated. After an ACIP meeting in September, new recommendations were made for vaccines against COVID-19 and measles.

This has sparked widespread concern among doctors and researchers in the United States, who are warning that deadly diseases could regain their footing.

Any changes the ACIP makes will certainly not be based on facts or evidence, but rather on ideology, says Sean O'Leary, an infectious and pediatric diseases specialist.

Since 1991, the recommendation in the United States has been that newborns should receive the hepatitis B vaccine. Unvaccinated infants who become infected with hepatitis B will develop chronic liver disease, O'Leary warns.

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By TT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers

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