(NewsNation) — As Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shakes up vaccine policy in the U.S., doubt has been cast on whether certain vaccines are safe and effective.
The latest vaccine under scrutiny by Kennedy and his newly formed vaccine panel is the hepatitis B vaccine. During the first meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the chair questioned whether it was a good decision to give the vaccine to newborns. Current CDC guidance calls for newborns to receive their first hep B shot at birth.
Experts with both the CDC and the Hepatitis B Foundation have said the vaccine is safe and effective.
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. The virus is transmitted from a person coming into contact with the blood, semen or other bodily fluid of someone who is infected. According to the Hepatitis B Foundation, one of the most common ways the virus is transmitted is by a mother passing it on to their newborn during childbirth.
Two billion people (or 1 in 3) have been infected and about 300 million people are living with a chronic hepatitis B infection. The Hepatitis B Foundation said up to one million people each year die from it despite the virus being treatable.
Who needs to be vaccinated?
Current guidance from the CDC’s ACIP recommends the vaccine be administered to the following groups:
- All infants
- Unvaccinated children younger than 19 years old
- Adults ages 19-59 with no known risk factors and have not been tested
- Adults 60 or older with risk factors for hepatitis B
- Adults 60 or older without known risk factors