University of Minnesota researchers say hepatitis B vaccine safe for babies, despite federal concern
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Researchers at the University of Minnesota are urging federal health advisors to maintain the longstanding recommendation to give the hepatitis B vaccine 24 hours after birth. Earlier this fall, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said it was considering a recommendation to delay the vaccine for babies, without substantial evidence.
U of M epidemiologists and experts reviewed 400 documents over 40 years of hepatitis B implementation and found there is no benefit to delaying the vaccine.
“We found that the vaccine administered at birth has a strong safety profile,” said Angela Ulrich, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota. “It's very effective at preventing perinatal transmission of hepatitis B.”
The federal advisory committee said they would only consider delaying the vaccine for babies born to mothers who tested negative for hepatitis B, but that does not guarantee protection from the disease that can have severe consequences for infants.
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“It's possible for women to be infected during pregnancy with hepatitis B, so they may test negative but be positive at the time of birth,” Ulrich said.
This poses a risk to infants after birth. The dose was originally recommended to serve as a safety net for the U.S. health care system and protect against gaps in prenatal screening and follow-ups. Since 1991, pediatric cases of hepatitis B have declined by 99 percent nationally.
The federal advisory committee will vote later this month on whether to change this federal health policy, citing concerns over parental consent.
“I think the most important question that we should be asking is, why is a recommendation being changed,” Ulrich said. “Why would we be changing something that we know has worked to virtually eliminate perinatal Hepatitis B infection. So if ACIP does make the change, I would expect to see evidence for why they are doing that.”
The U of M’s Vaccine Integrity Project was formed in April 2025 to ensure that vaccine policies remain grounded in science.
