LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted on Friday to end the long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive a Hepatitis B vaccine dose shortly after birth.
The committee voted 8-3 in favor of removing the universal birth-dose recommendation for infants under two months old.
Under the revised guidance, for infants born to mothers who test negative for the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), parents are advised to make vaccination decisions in consultation with a health care provider, including whether and when to administer the birth dose. For infants who do not receive the vaccine at birth, the first dose is recommended no earlier than two months of age.
The decision was approved despite strong objections from numerous medical and public health organizations, which warned that the universal birth dose has been a key component of a successful strategy that has nearly eliminated HBV transmission among children in the United States.
The decision sparked strong criticism from medical groups. More than 40 leading medical, health and patient-advocacy groups issued a joint statement condemning the vote.
"We are deeply alarmed by the actions taken this week by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The apparent goal of this meeting was to sow doubt in vaccines rather than advance sound vaccine policy, and we will all pay a price for that," the statement said.
In another statement, Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, a trustee of the American Medical Association, called the ACIP's decision "reckless," warning that it undermines decades of public confidence in a proven and lifesaving vaccine.
"Today's action is not based on scientific evidence, disregards data supporting the effectiveness of the Hepatitis B vaccine, and creates confusion for parents about how best to protect their newborns," she said.
The ACIP convened in the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Thursday and Friday to review and vote on a series of vaccine-related recommendations. The CDC will issue final guidance later, though it typically follows the advisory committee's recommendations. ■