US vaccine advisers say not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birth

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal vaccine advisory committee voted on Friday to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born.

A loud chorus of medical and public health leaders decried the actions of the panel, whose current members were all appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a leading anti-vaccine activist before this year becoming the nation’s top health official.

“This is the group that can’t shoot straight,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert who for decades has been involved with ACIP and its workgroups.

Several medical societies and state health departments said they would continue to recommend them. While people may have to check their policies, the trade group AHIP, formerly known as America’s Health Insurance Plans, said its members still will cover the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine.

For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of illnesses.

But Kennedy’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive, and in cases where the mom wasn’t tested.

For other babies, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate. The committee voted 8-3 to suggest that when a family elects to wait, then the vaccination series should begin when the child is 2 months old.

The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jim O’Neill, is expected to decide later whether to accept the committee’s recommendation.

Asked why the newly-appointed committee moved quickly to reexamine the recommendation, committee member Vicky Pebsworth on Thursday cited “pressure from stakeholder groups,” without naming them.

Committee members said the risk of infection for most babies is very low and that earlier research that found the shots were safe for infants was inadequate.

They also worried that in many cases, doctors and nurses don’t have full conversations with parents about the pros and cons of the birth-dose vaccination.

The committee members voiced interest in hearing the input from public health and medical professionals, but chose to ignore the experts’ repeated pleas to leave the recommendations alone.

The committee gives advice to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how approved vaccines should be used. CDC directors almost always adopted the committee’s recommendations, which were widely heeded by doctors and guide vaccination programs. But the agency currently has no director, leaving acting director O’Neill to decide.

In June, Kennedy fired the entire 17-member panel earlier this year and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices.

Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection that, for most people, lasts less than six months. But for some, especially infants and children, it can become a long-lasting problem that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer and scarring called cirrhosis.

In adults, the virus is spread through sex or through sharing needles during injection drug use. But it can also be passed from an infected mother to a baby.

In 1991, the committee recommended an initial dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Experts say quick immunization is crucial to prevent infection from taking root. And, indeed, cases in children have plummeted.

Still, several members of Kennedy’s committee voiced discomfort with vaccinating all newborns. They argued that past safety studies of the vaccine in newborns were limited and it’s possible that larger, long-term studies could uncover a problem with the birth dose.

But two members said they saw no documented evidence of harm from the birth doses and suggested concern was based on speculation.

Three panel members asked about the scientific basis for saying that the first dose could be delayed for two months for many babies.

“This is unconscionable,” said committee member Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, who repeatedly voiced opposition to the proposal during the sometimes-heated two-day meeting.

The committee’s chair, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, said two months was chosen as a point where infants had matured beyond the neonatal stage. Hibbeln countered that there was no data presented that two months is an appropriate cut-off.

Dr. Cody Meissner also questioned a second proposal — which passed 6-4 — that said parents consider talking to pediatricians about blood tests meant to measure whether hep B shots have created protective antibodies.

Such testing is not standard pediatric practice after vaccination. Proponents said it could be a new way to see if fewer shots are adequate.

A CDC hepatitis expert, Adam Langer, said results could vary from child to child and would be an erratic way to assess if fewer doses work. He also noted there’s no good evidence that three shots pose harm to kids.

Meissner attacked the proposal, saying the language “is kind of making things up.”

Health experts have noted Kennedy’s hand-picked committee is focused on the pros and cons of shots for the individual getting vaccinated, and has turned away from seeing vaccinations as a way to stop the spread of preventable diseases among the public.

The second proposal “is right at the center of this paradox,” said committee member Dr. Robert Malone.

Some observers criticized the meeting, noting recent changes in how they are conducted. CDC scientists no longer present vaccine safety and effectiveness data to the committee. Instead, people who have been prominent voices in anti-vaccine circles were given those slots.

The committee “is no longer a legitimate scientific body,” said Elizabeth Jacobs, a member of Defend Public Health, an advocacy group of researchers and others that has opposed Trump administration health policies. She described the meeting this week as “an epidemiological crime scene.”

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a liver doctor who chairs the Senate health committee, called the committee’s vote on the hepatitis B vaccine “a mistake."

“This makes America sicker," he said, in a post on social media.

The committee heard a 90-minute presentation from Aaron Siri, a lawyer who has worked with Kennedy on vaccine litigation. He ended by saying that he believes there should no ACIP vaccine recommendations at all.

In a lengthy response, Meissner said, “What you have said is a terrible, terrible distortion of all the facts." He ended by saying Siri should not have been invited.

The meeting’s organizers said they invited Siri as well as a few vaccine researchers — who have been vocal defenders of immunizations — to discuss the vaccine schedule. They named two: Dr. Peter Hotez, who said he declined, and Dr. Paul Offit, who said he didn't remember being asked but would have declined anyway.

Hotez, of the Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, declined to present before the group “because ACIP appears to have shifted its mission away from science and evidence-based medicine,” he said in an email to The Associated Press.

AP writers Ali Swenson in New York, Laura Ungar in Louisville, Kentucky, and Lauran Neergaard in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 to consider changes in hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 to consider changes in hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 to consider changes in hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 to consider changes in hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

Dr. Robert Malone chairs a meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 to consider changes in hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices votes to recommend changes to the infant hepatitis B vaccination policy during a meeting in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 to consider changes in hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

FILE - U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Western Governors' Association meeting Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rebecca Noble, File)

FILE - Committee member Vicky Pebsworth, speaks during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC, Sept. 18, 2025, in Chamblee, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

DENVER (AP) — Nazem Kadri has one tiny regret since rejoining the Colorado Avalanche.

“Wish I didn't sell (my house)," the newly acquired forward cracked. “Made a few bucks, but now I'm just going to have to buy another one.”

This homecoming for Kadri feels almost like nothing really changed even if it's been nearly four years since he was here and helping the Avalanche hoist the Stanley Cup in 2022. His drive to the arena seems identical. His emotions about his teammates are just as strong, too. He knew that version of the Avalanche, led by the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and captain Gabriel Landeskog, had championship fabric. He believes this team does, too, which is guided by the same cast and has the best record in the NHL.

Kadri's been closely following the squad from 1,500 miles away. Always has, since he left for Calgary in August 2022 via free agency after signing a seven-year, $49 million contract.

“My history here, lots of friends in this dressing room still,” said the 35-year-old Kadri, who was originally taken by Toronto at No. 7 in the 2009 draft. “It’s always the team I’ve cheered for — if I wasn’t playing against them.”

On Thursday night, another significant moment for Kadri — his first goal in his Colorado reunion as part of a 5-1 win at Seattle. It's the first time he's scored for the Avalanche since his overtime winner in Game 4 of the 2022 Stanley Cup final at Tampa Bay in a series the Avalanche won 4-2.

Kadri was one of several players the Avalanche picked up near the trade deadline, along with center Nicolas Roy and defensemen Nick Blankenburg and Brett Kulak. Kadri's long been a fan favorite, since Colorado acquired him from the Maple Leafs in 2019.

That's why he received a standing ovation when the team showed a video tribute of him on the day he joined the Avalanche on the ice last weekend against Minnesota.

He could barely keep his focus.

“That was incredible. That was special,” Kadri said. “We had a big power-play coming up, and it was hard not to get teary-eyed. It was affecting my vision a little bit. Obviously, incredible support — just really makes me feel at home.”

Kadri's final season in Denver was one of his finest all-around performances, setting career-highs in assists (59) and points (87) to earn his first of two career NHL All-Star Game accolades.

The Flames never went to the postseason after signing him. Colorado hasn't made it past the second round since his departure.

Nothing's changed, his teammates say, with Kadri — he's still the same gritty, intensely driven player as always.

“He's aged, I guess, like fine cheese,” Makar said. “He’s a competitive guy, and he’ll show up in the right moments. That’s why you get a guy like that.”

Added defenseman Josh Manson: “He can do so many things that can be a game-changing moment for a team.”

Kadri will give a boost to the power play, which despite the scoring skills of MacKinnon and Martin Necas still has one of the lower-ranked units in the league with 34 goals on 209 chances.

“It's quite simple — if somebody’s open give it to them, especially with the group we have,” said Kadri, who led the Flames with 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) before the trade.

So far, he's been paired at times with MacKinnon and Necas. But he's versatile enough to be shifted around.

“All the things that he did for us in 2022, I feel like he can still do for us again,” coach Jared Bednar said. “So we’re going to put him in similar situations that he was in back then. ... He also adds that leadership and that swagger that you like to have in your locker room this time of year.”

Kadri's already getting up to speed in his second go-around with the organization. He knows the stakes are high as he goes from one of the worst teams in the Western Conference to a team that's been atop the NHL standings for 119 game days, according to league research. It's tied with the 1996-97 squad for the second-most days in first place in franchise history. The only season the Avalanche had more game days (152) in first place was the Stanley Cup season of 2000-01.

“When I walked in the dressing room, I could feel a sense of focus and determination," Kadri said. "It was great to see. It’s easy to hop on board.”

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Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri, top, looks to pass the puck as Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins defends in the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) reacts to scoring with center Nazem Kadri (91) against Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) as center Frederick Gaudreau (89) looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

FILE - Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (91) lifts the Stanley Cup after the team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, June 26, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, left, greets center Nazem Kadri, right, after Kadri's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri, left, celebrates scoring against the Seattle Kraken with center Nathan MacKinnon, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)