CDC疫苗小组将就乙型肝炎疫苗注射和儿童免疫进行辩论

A two-day meeting of the CDC's influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices set for December 4-5 will discuss continuing to give newborn babies hepatitis b shots as well as examine the childhood and adolescent immunization schedule.

Given that the panel is composed of members hand picked by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, the meeting could upend several long-held vaccination practices.

The discussion on the hepatitis b vaccines was supposed to happen at the group's last meeting in September but ended up being tabled.

A draft agenda posted on Monday was short on details, except to say there would be "votes" before the end of meeting on Thursday and there would be several presentations, including from CMS and the Vaccines for Children program.

At the September meeting, the original voting questions involving hepatitis b vaccines were if all pregnant women should be tested for the virus; and if a mother tests negative, the first dose given to a newborn should be at least a month after birth or earlier in consultation with a doctor (shared decision-making).

An evidence review published Tuesday by the University of Minnesota's Vaccine Integrity Project concluded that there is no benefit or added protection from delaying a first hepatitis b shot in newborns, but added there are "critical risks" if current recommendations are changed. 

Three hepatitis b vaccines are approved in the US: Merck's (MRK) Recombivax HB; GSK's (GSK) Engerix-B; and Dynavax Technologies' (DVAX) Heplisav-B.

Friday's agenda includes discussions on childhood/adolescent immunization schedule, CDC vaccine risk monitoring evaluation, as well as adjuvants and contaminants. However, no voting is listed for this day.

The meeting will be the first headed by Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who joined the panel in September. He has previously touted hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as COVID treatments, even though evidence is lacking, and has also stated that COVID shots can cause cancer and miscarriages.