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CDC Ends Universal Hepatitis B Birth‑Dose, Michigan Defies New Guidance

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CDC Revokes Universal Birth‑Dose Recommendation On December 16, 2025 the CDC announced it will no longer advise a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours for all newborns, limiting the dose to infants whose mothers test positive or are untested for the virus; otherwise parents and physicians may choose to start the series at two months of age [2][3].

Advisory Committee Vote and Acting Director Approval An eight‑to‑three vote by the federal advisory committee recommended delaying the birth dose, and Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill formally accepted the change the same day, aligning policy with the committee’s guidance [2][3].

Medical Community Warns of Increased Infant Risk Physicians and public‑health leaders, including AMA trustee Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, warned that abandoning the universal birth dose could raise chronic hepatitis B cases, noting up to 90 % of infected infants develop lifelong disease [1][2][3].

Michigan State Health Office Defies New CDC Guidance Effective December 18, 2025, Michigan’s chief medical executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian instructed providers to follow American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians schedules rather than the CDC, maintaining the birth‑dose recommendation until officially rescinded [1].

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Timeline

1991 – The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends a universal hepatitis B birth‑dose for all medically stable newborns, a policy later credited with preventing roughly 90 000 deaths and reducing pediatric cases from ~18 000 to ~2 200 per year [2][9][12].

June 9, 2025 – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fires the 17‑member ACIP and appoints a new panel that includes vaccine‑skeptical members, reshaping the advisory body that guides U.S. vaccine policy [10][11][12][13][19].

Dec 4, 2025 – ACIP convenes to consider dropping the universal birth‑dose; confusion over voting language leads members to postpone the decision to the following day [9][10][11][19].

Dec 5, 2025 – ACIP votes 8‑3 to end universal hepatitis B newborn vaccination, shifting to shared clinical decision‑making for infants of HBsAg‑negative mothers and recommending the first dose no earlier than two months if the birth dose is omitted [1][5][6][7][8][16][21][24][25]; Dr. Paul Offit warns the move “has just condemned hundreds of children to a shorter life” [17]; Dr. Vin Gupta says the change will “sow confusion and doubt about vaccine safety” [24].

Dec 5, 2025 – President Donald Trump orders health officials to review the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule and compare it with peer‑country practices in response to the ACIP vote [1].

Dec 6, 2025 – Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill prepares to decide whether to adopt the ACIP recommendation; Blue Cross Blue Shield and AHIP announce continued no‑cost coverage for hepatitis B vaccines through 2026 [4][18].

Dec 16, 2025 – The CDC formally adopts the advisory panel’s guidance, ending the universal birth‑dose recommendation and limiting it to infants of hepatitis B‑positive or untested mothers, while allowing parents and providers to decide for others [20][22].

Dec 19, 2025 – Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, directs physicians to follow AAP and AAFP schedules rather than the CDC’s new guidance, emphasizing evidence‑based recommendations and urging reduced barriers to vaccine access [15].

2026 (planned) – Insurers maintain coverage of hepatitis B vaccines under the Vaccines for Children program and private plans, ensuring no‑cost access for eligible children despite the policy shift [4].

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