AIM Statement: Association of Immunization Managers Expresses Concerns over ACIP Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendations

AIM recognizes the importance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) role in guiding national vaccination policy. However, AIM is deeply concerned that shifting from a universal hepatitis B vaccination recommendation for all newborns to a risk-based approach will reduce access to this critical protection and result in infants contracting life-long hepatitis B virus infection. Universal recommendations have long ensured that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, receives equal opportunity to be safeguarded against hepatitis B infection. A risk-based model introduces complexity that will create barriers to timely vaccination and cause confusion among parents and healthcare providers. Additionally, parents and caregivers may interpret the absence of a universal recommendation as a signal that hepatitis B vaccination is less necessary or less safe, undermining decades of data to the contrary.

“AIM is dedicated to establishing a nation free of vaccine-preventable disease,” said AIM Executive Director Claire Hannan. “Vaccines, including hepatitis B vaccine, have saved millions of lives and provide critical protection against diseases that cause suffering and death. The hepatitis B birth dose is a critical piece of the disease-free puzzle.”