Medical experts alarmed as ACIP weighs Hepatitis B policy under Trump administration

A fresh wave of concern is sweeping through the United States medical community as vaccine experts appointed by President Donald Trump’s Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., prepare to review the long-standing recommendation for newborn hepatitis B vaccination.

Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic with no medical credentials, has overseen a sweeping overhaul of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), empowering newly appointed members to reassess vaccines that have been safely used for decades.

The committee is scheduled to meet for two days in Atlanta, Georgia, to continue deliberations that began in September following its revised guidance on Covid-19 and measles vaccines.

The development has triggered alarm among health professionals, who fear that ideological pressure from the Trump administration may influence national immunization policy. Sean O’Leary, an infectious disease and pediatric expert, warned that the committee’s direction appears detached from science.

“Any changes this ACIP makes will certainly not be based in facts or evidence, but rather ideology,” O’Leary said, expressing deep concern over the lack of qualifications among many of Kennedy’s appointees.

Debate Over Newborn Hepatitis B Shots

Since 1991, US health authorities have recommended that infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth to prevent chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Medical experts argue that early vaccination is essential, as up to 90 percent of babies infected at birth develop chronic disease, with about 25 percent dying from complications later in life.

But anti-vaccine groups — and Trump himself — have opposed the early vaccination schedule. In September, Trump claimed that hepatitis B “is sexually transmitted,” adding that he saw “no reason” for newborns to receive the shot before age 12.

Health experts have dismissed the claim as dangerously misleading, stressing that infants can contract the virus from their mothers during pregnancy or childbirth. Delaying vaccination, they warn, would lower immunization rates in a country where access to healthcare is inconsistent.

A new University of Minnesota analysis, drawing from more than 400 studies, found no medical benefit to delaying the first hepatitis B shot. Instead, the researchers concluded that any policy shift “poses critical risks” to public health and would likely reverse decades of progress in preventing childhood liver disease.

Growing Distrust and Political Fallout

The ACIP’s recommendations traditionally influence whether US health insurers cover vaccines — a major factor in a country where childbirth costs are high and vaccines can run into hundreds of dollars. However, the committee’s credibility is reportedly eroding under the Kennedy-Trump administration.

Several Democratic-led states have already announced they will no longer rely on ACIP recommendations, citing lack of trust in the committee’s scientific standing.

Pediatrician Paul Offit told AFP that states are forming parallel advisory panels because of Kennedy’s long history of promoting anti-vaccine rhetoric.

“Everybody that watches the ACIP meetings just holds their breath, waiting to see what dangerous thing they advance next,” Offit said.

As the ACIP reconvenes, the clash between science, politics and public health continues to intensify, with experts warning that any reversal on newborn hepatitis B vaccination could lead to preventable deaths and outbreaks of diseases long under control.

Afp