WA health officials still recommend newborn hepatitis B shot despite federal vote
Dec 9, 2025, 1:01 PM
Members of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) are seen during a meeting at CDC Headquarters on December 4, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Elijah Nouvelage, Getty Images)
(Photo: Elijah Nouvelage, Getty Images)
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA) still recommend the hepatitis B shot for newborns despite a federal committee voting that not all babies need it.
Last week, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to end the recommendation that all U.S. babies receive the vaccine at birth.
Federal committee drops longtime hepatitis B recommendation
The committee, whose members were all appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now advises newborns be vaccinated if their mother tests positive for hepatitis B, or if their mother wasn’t tested. The decision on other babies’ vaccinations is up to the parents, according to The Associated Press (AP).
However, the DOH and the WCHA — an alliance between Washington, California, Oregon, and Hawaii — still strongly support the hepatitis B vaccine being offered to all newborns, with the first dose given within 24 hours of birth for babies weighing at least 4 pounds 7 ounces, followed by the rest of the vaccine series.
Washington health officials stated, in a news release, that the decades-long vaccine approach has reduced pediatric hepatitis B infections in the U.S. by 99%. They noted the ACIP voted parents should consult their provider regarding blood tests following each dose of the vaccine, but believe this will lead to more people developing diseases.
“Delaying the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine and using blood tests to guide vaccination will lead to more children and adults developing preventable liver disease and liver cancer with no evidence of a safety benefit,” officials stated in the news release.
Hepatitis B is an infectious virus that attacks the liver and can cause chronic liver disease, liver cancer, liver failure, and death. The DOH and WCHA emphasized the importance of the vaccine.
“The hepatitis B vaccine is effective, well-tolerated, and decades of global data support its safety,” officials stated. “It should continue to be offered to all parents at birth. Universal vaccination of newborns within 24 hours of birth, followed by completion of the vaccination series, is essential to protecting infants and young children, who are at greatest risk from complications from hepatitis B.”
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