A new commentary published in Gastroenterology posits that “all newborns in the U.S. [should] continue to receive the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth.”
The CDC and ACIP have both recommended the vaccine for all infants since 1991, and the first dose should be given “within 24 hours of birth for infants born to mothers who tested positive for hepatitis B.” In 2005, that recommendation was updated to “specify that the first dose should be administered within 12 hours of birth for infants born to mothers who tested positive for hepatitis B and before hospital discharge for other infants.” Again, in 2018, the recommendation was updated – all infants should receive the first dose within 24 hours of birth.
The authors of this commentary identify this “universal ‘birth dose’ as an essential safety net for preventing chronic hepatitis B infection, which can lead to premature death from cirrhosis or liver cancer.”
These policies have led to a “95% decline in infant hepatitis B infections, which have prevented an estimated one million hospitalizations and 90,000 deaths.”
