American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and Partner Societies

Rule Changes

Coalition of liver and infectious-disease groups opposing the ACIP change

On December 5, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—recently overhauled under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—voted 8–3 to end the longstanding recommendation that every U.S. newborn receive a hepatitis B vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth. For babies whose mothers test negative for hepatitis B, the panel now advises individualized decision-making with parents and suggests delaying the first dose until at least two months of age, while retaining the birth dose for infants whose mothers are infected or whose status is unknown; acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill ratified this on December 16, 2025.

Updated Feb 5