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Following a hold-up and an unusually contentious meeting, a national immunization advisory committee was expected to vote on Friday on whether to change the longstanding recommendation that every infant be inoculated against hepatitis B.

Fiery Exchange and a Deferred Vote

The initial day of the assembly on Thursday was defined by heated debate over limiting availability to the hepatitis B vaccine for babies and a resolution to defer the vote by a day to provide committee members extra time to scrutinize the phrasing. The panel, which advises the CDC on vaccination protocols, had put off the vote twice in the past.

“Is there any specific evidence of damage of giving this immunization before 30 days? Or is this theory?” asked one committee member.

In answer, another member stated, “There is inadequate data about the long-term risk.”

Present Protocol and Potential Impact

The injection is presently advised for all infants within 24 hours of being born to halt contraction of hepatitis B, which can result in significant hepatic injury. It has been administered to over a billion individuals for in excess of thirty years.

The meeting in Atlanta provided no fresh data of injuries resulting from the vaccine. Authorities state any change to the existing hepatitis B vaccine regimen could have significant and far-reaching consequences for childhood health in the United States.

Group Membership and Recent Changes

The advisory panel can only offer guidance to the head of the CDC. The panel's membership has seen shifts recently, with the announcement that the panel's latest chairman would depart for an official role and be succeeded by a cardiologist who has been questioning of other immunizations.

The committee includes several immunization doubters who align with a goal to reform – and potentially, in some cases, scrap – long-established immunization guidelines.