Independent experts to review hepatitis B vaccine data after CDC delays vote

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(Reuters) -A group of independent U.S. vaccine experts said on Thursday it plans to review existing data on administering the hepatitis B shot at birth, months after a federal panel postponed a vote on delaying its first dose.

The Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative dedicated to safeguarding vaccine use in the U.S., said it plans to complete the review of the data supporting long-standing recommendation for universal hepatitis B vaccination by early December.

A panel of vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chosen by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had tabled a vote in September that would have delayed the first shot by at least a month in women who test negative for hepatitis B virus.

The review will examine decades of research on the safety, effectiveness and public health impact of administering the first dose of the vaccine within 24 hours of birth.

It will also assess potential consequences of deferring the dose, including gaps in maternal screening and infant coverage.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said there is no reason for newborns to get the hepatitis B vaccine as it is a sexually transmitted disease and instead wait till the child is 12 years old.

Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. It primarily spreads through blood, semen, or certain other body fluids.

Infants infected with hepatitis B at birth or during their first year of life have a 90% chance of developing a chronic infection, increasing the risk of serious liver disease such as cirrhosis or cancer.

Six hepatitis vaccines are currently approved in the U.S.

Hepatitis B infection rates in the U.S. have dropped nearly 90%, from about 9.6 per 100,000 people before vaccination became widespread to around one per 100,000 in 2018.

(Reporting by Sneha S K and Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)