The Hepatitis B birth dose is no longer recommended by the CDC. This is why your baby (or you) should get it anyway.

Hepatitis B (HepB) is an infection of the liver that can lead to chronic disease requiring lifelong treatment and an increased risk of cancer and death.  People living with the disease represent every zip code in Philadelphia.  In 2023, over 600 Philadelphians were newly diagnosed with HepB.  Most residents living with the disease are non-Hispanic Black or Asian American/Pacific Islander.

The HepB vaccine has minimal risks and many benefits.  Skipping the birth dose leaves infants vulnerable to a lifelong risk of chronic liver disease and cancer.  This is why your baby (or you, if you’ve never been vaccinated) should get the vaccine.

1. We tried the “targeted risk” approach.  It didn’t work.

Before routine vaccination in the 1990s, about 18,000 U.S. infants and children contracted HepB annually.  Half of these were born to mothers without HepB.  

2. HepB vaccines have been available and safe for almost 40 years

There is no link between the vaccine and SIDS, increased death, or autoimmune disorders.  Monitoring for serious vaccine side effects continues indefinitely.  Multiple nationwide data systems monitor hospital data for these events.  The HepB vaccine has been monitored for almost 40 years.

3. Everyone who is unvaccinated is at risk of the disease. 

HepB can spread through sex and needle sharing, but it can also spread through other forms of close contact.  Even invisible amounts of blood on shared items can transmit the virus, which survives up to 7 days on surfaces.  

4. Most people don’t know they have the disease

HepB infection often has no symptoms.  Children under 5 rarely have symptoms of infection, and children and adults older than 5 have symptoms only about 30-50% of the time.

5. A mother’s HepB status alone is not enough to guide shared decision making for vaccination.  

1 in 8 mothers are not properly screened for HepB, and only about half of infants born to positive HepB mothers are correctly identified.  To holistically assess HepB risk, we would need to screen all adults who care for the infant, including family members and childcare providers.  

Ninety percent of infants infected with HepB at birth develop lifelong disease.  A birth dose of Hep serves as a safety net, protecting all newborns, even those who may fall through the gaps that exist in our current system.  

The HepB vaccine has minimal risks and multiple benefits that can protect all Philadelphians, especially our most vulnerable.  If you have any concerns or want to speak further about vaccines*, reach out to a trusted clinician.

HepCap: Locations in Philadelphia offering HepB Vaccine*  Vaccines recommended by the nation’s leading medical associations, including HepB, continue to be covered by insurance in Pennsylvania.