{"id":253,"date":"2025-12-05T20:40:52","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T20:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/?p=253"},"modified":"2025-12-16T16:17:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T16:17:18","slug":"hep-b-uniteds-statement-on-acips-hepatitis-b-vaccine-votes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/hep-b-uniteds-statement-on-acips-hepatitis-b-vaccine-votes\/","title":{"rendered":"Hep B United\u2019s Statement on ACIP\u2019s Hepatitis B Vaccine Votes\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We reaffirm that the hepatitis B vaccine, including the birth dose, is safe and saves lives. Over 40 years of extensive global research show a strong safety record and clear benefits to vaccinating against hepatitis B at birth. Thanks to the long-standing recommendation (1991-2025) for universal hepatitis B birth dose and completion of the full, three-dose hepatitis B vaccine series, hepatitis B transmission among U.S. children has been nearly eliminated, even in areas where the virus was once endemic – an undeniable achievement and a true public health success story that should be celebrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We continue to stand firmly with the established science, longstanding clinical guidelines by numerous medical societies domestically and globally, and the real-world successes that have significantly reduced hepatitis B infections and deaths. Our organizations remain committed to ensuring access to the birth dose and the full 3-dose hepatitis B vaccine series, promoting evidence-based best practices, and supporting the health of every community we serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Routine universal hepatitis B birth dose and completion of the full 3-dose vaccination remain essential to sustaining the progress we have made in preventing a virus that can cause lifelong infection and liver cancer. As hepatitis B continues to pose a serious health threat, maintaining strong birth-dose coverage is critical to protecting infants from the earliest moments of life and preventing future disease. Our organizations will continue working together to uphold this proven intervention and to strengthen the health and safety of each community we serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signed Organizations (as of 12\/15):<\/strong>
Hep B United
Hepatitis B Foundation

AIDS Action Baltimore
AIDS Alabama
AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Children, Youth & Families
AIDS Foundation Chicago
AIDS United
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
American College of Gastroenterology
American Gastroenterological Association
American Liver Foundation
American Pacific Health Foundation
Asian Center \u2013 Southeast Michigan
Asian Health Coalition
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Centers (AAPCHO)
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Caring Ambassadors Program
Center for Disease Analysis Foundation
Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation
Charles B Wang Community Health Center
Chinese American Medical Society
Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin (CHIPO)
Community Liver Alliance
Community Welfare Services of Metro Detroit
eGlobal Family
Empire Liver Foundation
End Hep C SF
End The Epidemics: Californians Mobilizing to End HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STIs, and Overdose
Equitas Health
Equity Is the Word
Five Horizons Health Services
Global Liver Institute
Hawai’i Health and Harm Reduction Center
Hawai’i Learning Groups
Health Betterment Initiative
HealthHIV
Hep B Free
Hep B United Philadelphia
Hep Free Hawaii
HIV Medicine Association
Housing Works
Immunization Alliance for Equtiy and Access
International Coalition to Eliminate HBV
John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii
Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc
Micronesian Education for Liver Wellness Project
Mongolian Community Health Network
Montefiore Starfish
NASTAD
National Alliance for HIV Education and Workforce Development
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
National Task Force on Hepatitis B
National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR)
National Working Positive Coalition
New Jersey Hepatitis Coalition
NMAC
North East Medical Services
Pacific Community of Alaska
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
PrEP4All
Somos Tuberculosis
STOP TB USA
TB Elimination Alliance
The AIDS Institute
The Hepatitis C Mentor and Support Group-HCMSG
The US Coalition for African Immigrant Health
Treatment Action Group
Tuberculosis Elimination Alliance (TEA)
United Liver
Vaccine Education Center at the Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia
Vaccinate Your Family
Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board
Vital Access Care Foundation
Vivent Health<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIGN ON YOUR ORGANIZATION HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n


What does the vote mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) completed two significant votes that will impact the U.S. childhood immunization schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, ACIP voted to remove the well-established recommendation in place since 1991 to vaccinate all babies at birth against hepatitis B, regardless of the mother\u2019s status. It is now officially recommended that only babies born to mothers living with hepatitis B should receive the hepatitis B birth dose, which moves the U.S. from universal birth dose to a risk-based recommendation. ACIP suggests that babies born to mothers who do not have hepatitis B should begin the hepatitis B vaccine series not before 2 months of age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, ACIP voted to officially reduce the number of hepatitis B doses that a baby should receive. The vote suggests that only 1 dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is needed, which is a deviation from the standard 3-dose vaccine series needed for full protection against the virus. The vote also suggests that babies should blood draws to determine if additional doses of the vaccine are needed after completing the first dose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is imperative to note that while ACIP\u2019s vote removes the previous longstanding recommendation, all parents can continue to vaccinate their newborns at birth using the 3-dose series of the hepatitis B vaccine if they wish (no blood draw is needed). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does this mean for insurance?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hepatitis B vaccines will continue to be covered for anyone who wants the vaccine under the Vaccine for Children\u2019s Program, and through Medicaid. America\u2019s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) have committed to maintaining coverage of all childhood vaccines, including the hepatitis B vaccine, throughout 2026 despite any changes ACIP has made. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We reaffirm that the hepatitis B vaccine, including the birth dose, is safe and saves lives. Over 40 years of extensive global research show a strong safety record and clear benefits to vaccinating against hepatitis B at birth. Thanks to the long-standing recommendation (1991-2025) for universal hepatitis B birth dose and completion of the full, … <\/p>\n

Continue reading Hep B United\u2019s Statement on ACIP\u2019s Hepatitis B Vaccine Votes\u00a0<\/span> →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":299,"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253\/revisions\/299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hepbunited.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}