CDC Advisers Limit Access to Hepatitis B Vaccine in US Babies Due to Trump Administration Influence.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently made a surprising change to its vaccine policy, recommending that the hepatitis B vaccine be given only to babies whose parents decide they want it, rather than automatically at birth.
This new approach is not a recommended standard practice, but rather a shared clinical decision-making process, which makes vaccines optional in some cases. In this instance, parents must consult with their doctor before deciding whether or not to vaccinate their baby. The vaccine will now be administered only after two months of age.
Hepatitis B shots have been given safely and effectively for decades since 1990, resulting in a significant decline of recorded cases among children from 20,000 to just 20 cases, with an 99% drop in rates over the past three decades.
Critics claim that these changes are part of Trump administration's approach towards vaccines that is regressive. Skeptics have also expressed concerns about potential links between vaccines and health conditions such as allergies or neurodevelopmental disorders, but multiple studies have found no evidence for a link between vaccines and these conditions.
The recent decision highlights the danger of vaccine after vaccine coming under attack, sowing public doubt. It sets a precedent for any vaccines to come under question in the future.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently made a surprising change to its vaccine policy, recommending that the hepatitis B vaccine be given only to babies whose parents decide they want it, rather than automatically at birth.
This new approach is not a recommended standard practice, but rather a shared clinical decision-making process, which makes vaccines optional in some cases. In this instance, parents must consult with their doctor before deciding whether or not to vaccinate their baby. The vaccine will now be administered only after two months of age.
Hepatitis B shots have been given safely and effectively for decades since 1990, resulting in a significant decline of recorded cases among children from 20,000 to just 20 cases, with an 99% drop in rates over the past three decades.
Critics claim that these changes are part of Trump administration's approach towards vaccines that is regressive. Skeptics have also expressed concerns about potential links between vaccines and health conditions such as allergies or neurodevelopmental disorders, but multiple studies have found no evidence for a link between vaccines and these conditions.
The recent decision highlights the danger of vaccine after vaccine coming under attack, sowing public doubt. It sets a precedent for any vaccines to come under question in the future.
. I mean, hepatitis B is a serious disease that can lead to liver damage and even liver cancer if left untreated. Giving it out to all babies at birth has been super effective in keeping them safe for decades! 
Now, because of the CDC's change, parents might not have access to this life-saving vaccine right away... 
That could put their little ones at risk. The fact that it was even considered is just alarming - I hope they come back around to their senses soon 
I was thinking about this the other day, what's going on with all these changes to vaccination policies? Like, I remember when we were kids and our parents just automatically took us to get vaccinated... now it seems like it's all about what parents want. It's a bit worrying, to be honest 
. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for choice and stuff, but at the same time, we're talking about a vaccine here that has been proven to be super effective in preventing some pretty serious diseases 
. What if parents aren't informed? What if they make a decision that's not in their baby's best interest? It's like, I get it, but can't we just stick with the tried and tested approach for once? 
! How can we even have discussions about vaccination rates and childhood health if parents aren't even going to vaccinate their babies out of fear? Newsflash: Hep B has been around for decades, like 35+ years, and we've seen a drastic drop in cases – what's changing is not the science, but our willingness to protect ourselves and each other 
. And don't even get me started on these baseless conspiracy theories that keep popping up... 99% fewer Hep B cases? No thanks 
!
. I mean, we're talking about a vaccine that's been proven to be super effective in preventing a serious liver disease 
. The stats are crazy - 20,000 cases down to just 20 in the past few decades! It's like, what's not to trust here? 
. We can't let public doubt and misinformation win out here 
. Let's keep our kids safe and healthy by sticking to the science 
.
My kid's school nurse is freaking out too... she's always stressing about how important vaccines are for herd immunity. This is just gonna make things harder for her to do her job.
20,000 kids getting sick from Hep B before, and now it's basically non-existent! 
I'm worried that this sets a bad precedent for other vaccines to come under attack too... 
at least we can still get vaccinated ourselves, right? 
It's like, what if they don't know enough about the vaccine or its benefits? What if they're worried about something that isn't even a real concern?
I mean, I get it, parents have the right to make decisions about their kids, but do we really want to give 'em the power to decide whether or not to protect their child from a preventable disease?