The ACIP voted 8-3 to no longer recommend all newborns receive a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, now only recommending this early shot for infants born to mother who test positive for the virus. For infants born to mothers who test negative for hepatitis B, the panel's recommendation, "it is suggested" that the first dose not be administered until two months of age.
This is a culmination of months of confusion with the committee which initially sought to vote on this in September but held off after members struggled to make sense of what the recommendation truly meant.
Confusion blatantly lingered this week when the panel decided to wait for another to vote after more than one member took issue with the language, which was described as redundant and unnecessary by some on the committee.
A small, outspoken contingent of panelists blasted the vote, with no studies backing its reasoning. ACIP member Cody Meissner stating plainly, "We are doing harm by changing this wording."
Major medical organizations swiftly rejected ACIP's vote. The American Medical Association (AMA) called the committee's move "reckless."
"Today's action is not based on scientific evidence, disregards data supporting the effectiveness of the Hepatitis B vaccine, and creates confusion for parents about how best to protect their newborns," AMA trustee Sandra Fryhofer said in a statement.
D.C. area pediatrician Heidi Appel, a member of the Committee To Protect Health Care, said the recommendation introduces another barrier for parents who want to vaccinate their children. The guidance calls for "individual-based decision-making, in consultation with a health care provider" if a hepatitis B-negative parent wants a birth dose for their newborn.
"A lot of parents don't have a pediatrician ahead of time," noted Appel. "Not as many pediatricians are actually going into the hospital, seeing newborns, unfortunately or fortunately. I mean, it's not as practical. So, a lot of it is being done by hospitals who are wonderful and they're great, but the parents don't have a relationship with them. So again, it's just adding to this confusion."
No comments:
Post a Comment