Oppose ACIP's Rollback of Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendation

I am writing to urge you to oppose the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recent decision to roll back the decades-long recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. This reversal contradicts widespread public health consensus and puts children at unnecessary risk. The evidence supporting universal birth dosing is overwhelming. Since the CDC began recommending a universal birth dose in 1991, cases of acute hepatitis B among children have plummeted. A CDC analysis estimated that hepatitis B vaccination of children born from 1994 to 2023 prevented more than 6 million infections and nearly 1 million hospitalizations. The University of Minnesota's Vaccine Integrity Project published a review of over 400 studies this week finding no evidence of short or long-term health problems from the hepatitis B shot after birth. This paper was reviewed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Disease Society of America. The new guidance creates dangerous confusion by allowing mothers who test negative for hepatitis B to delay vaccination until at least 2 months of age. Not all pregnant women get tested for hepatitis B, and delaying shots will lead to more infections. Dr. Jason Goldman, president of the American College of Physicians, called this "an unnecessary solution looking to find a problem to solve" that would "only endanger children." The ACIP panel members were recently replaced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the new group largely expressing skepticism of vaccines. Dr. Cody Meissner, the only member who previously served on the committee, voted against the change, stating "We are doing harm by changing this wording." Three of the eight panel members voted against this rollback. I urge you to publicly oppose this scientifically inaccurate recommendation and support legislation that protects evidence-based vaccine policy. Our children's health depends on maintaining proven public health measures.