The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an advisory panel that reviews and recommends vaccine guidelines to the CDC, will meet Dec. 4-5 to discuss the childhood immunization schedules and hepatitis B vaccines.
The committee — which HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overhauled in June after firing all 17 standing members and instating new advisers — might vote on hepatitis B vaccines, according to a draft agenda published Nov. 13.
During a September meeting, ACIP planned to vote on whether to recommend delaying the first dose of hepatitis B vaccines, but the committee tabled the vote due to confusion over the wording of the question.
The December meeting was originally scheduled for late October, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In a Nov. 12 statement, the AAP said it “continues to recommend giving newborns a dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth with additional doses at 1-2 months and 6-18 months.”
“Hepatitis B can spread between family members living together and other close contact settings, and many people initially don’t know they have it,” according to the AAP, which ACIP excluded from participating in its process; ACIP did the same with other liaison organizations.
For the broader childhood and immunization schedule, an ACIP working group has been reviewing the timing and order of vaccines, the safety of vaccine ingredients, immunization schedules in other countries and the concurrent administration of various vaccines. The draft agenda mentions votes related to hepatitis B vaccines, but no votes for other aspects of the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.
The CDC does not have to adopt ACIP’s recommendations, but it usually does.
