Minnesota pediatrician explains what happens if CDC changes childhood vaccine guidance
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A federal vaccine advisory committee is convening for a second day Friday after panelists could not agree on whether to continue hepatitis B vaccine mandates for newborns on Thursday. The group also could not reach consensus on that question in September.
Parents and pediatricians are closely watching the decision.
Hennepin Healthcare pediatrician Dr. Leslie King Schultz, who is a co-chair for the immunization work group of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, joined Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Friday.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the conversation by clicking the player button above.
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Why is the hepatitis B vaccine so important for newborns?
Schultz: Hepatitis B is a readily transmissible infection that is often passed to newborns during the birthing process from a mother who's infected, either knowingly or unknowingly. It can also be transmitted to newborns during the first few weeks of life from other close household contacts. Ninety percent of babies infected when they are young will go on to have chronic hepatitis B infection, and a quarter of those will die prematurely from hepatitis B-related causes. So it's a very serious infection, and it's particularly serious for those who are infected early in life. [It can cause] chronic liver disease and complications from that.
How are you helping parents try to navigate this uncertain time?
Yes, it's been a challenge for sure. We are fortunate that all of the health care professional organizations — like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Medicine, AMA, Infectious Disease Society of America, American Public Health Association, Pediatric Nurse Practitioners — all are in alignment to support that our current vaccine schedule is well established and safe and effective, so that has been a huge support. Public health departments around the country, including the Minnesota Department of Health, have also stepped in to support vaccination and its benefits for our children.
If this advisory committee does vote against the mandate, what then? What do you tell parents?
Yeah, so it is still the same conversation. The data has not changed. This is still a very important vaccine, and so we continue having those conversations, as we always have with parents, about why we vaccinate and what the benefit of vaccination is. The implications for the CDC’s change are related to insurance coverage, so insurance companies can choose not to cover vaccines that are not recommended by the CDC. This is particularly an implication for 30-40 percent of our Minnesota children who are covered by the Vaccines for Children Program, which is directly funded through CDC recommendations in the federal government. When the top public health authority in our country is promoting misinformation around vaccines, patients listen, and it starts to engender more distrust in our vaccines, which have saved lives.
Are you worried that a change to the hepatitis B vaccination guidance could perhaps set a precedent for changing other vaccinations?
Absolutely, and also on the agenda Friday is review of other components for other childhood vaccines. The vaccine schedule for children is complex, well-studied. There are combination vaccines, including ones that include hepatitis B, so single changes can have ripple effects. It takes a long time to make a new vaccine and make changes to vaccines that are available on the market, so that has major implications for clinics providing vaccines to kids right now.
