RFK Jr. vaccine panel delays hepatitis B vote, thwarts public health shake-up for newborns
Health experts breathed a sigh of relief as members of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine panel voted to maintain current guidance on a vaccine that has been recommended for children for decades.
For nearly 35 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine be given within 24 hours of birth.
On Sept. 19, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to table a vote that would have recommended that first dose be delayed until at least one month after birth for babies who are born to mothers who test negative for hepatitis B.
During the Sept. 18 meeting, the panel voted to no longer recommend the MMRV vaccine for children under 4 years old. Although members had initially voted to continue covering the vaccines for children under 4 under the Vaccines for Children program, which provides vaccines to children whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them, they revoted to take away that coverage the next day.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/rfk-jr-vaccine-panel-decide-124727070.html