CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his revamped vaccine advisory panel are now questioning the long-held practice of giving newborns a hepatitis B shot before leaving the hospital.
Since 1991, it’s been standard in the U.S. to vaccinate infants at birth to guard against hepatitis B — a virus that can cause liver cancer and failure later in life. This universal approach has been extremely successful in virtually eliminating hepatitis B in children.
Public health authorities strongly oppose this reconsideration. They argue the birth dose is vital, especially when maternal infection status can be missed or delayed…