Hepatitis B vaccine rates are dropping

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Source: STAT News

Original: https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/24/health-news-hep-b-vaccine-rates-drop/?utm_ca...

Published: Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:06:28 +0000

The US Immunization Advisory Committee voted to withdraw the long-standing recommendation to vaccinate all newborns against hepatitis B immediately after birth[4][7]. This committee, all members of which were replaced by the Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy, faces criticism from the professional public[4]. Vaccination against hepatitis B is considered a major public health success, as it prevents thousands of diseases[4]. If the parents refuse the postnatal vaccine, the vaccination series should be started at two months of age at the earliest[7]. It leaves the decision about the suitability of the vaccine for other children up to the parents and their doctors[7]. In the US, for decades the government recommended vaccinating all children immediately after birth[4]. The article does not provide specific statistics on the decline in vaccination rates[4][7].