Upon the conclusion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) meeting on December 5, the ACIP published a press release regarding their decisions. The CDC immunization schedules will be updated to include the new decisions if the CDC director adopts them.
The committee voted in favor (8-3) of practicing informed consent for the hepatitis B vaccine for infants when their birth mother tests negative. The CDC calls this practice “individual-based decision-making.” The agency recently updated their vaccine schedules to recommend individual-based decision-making for the COVID-19 vaccine too.
Additional key decisions from the 12/5 meeting:
- If an infant does not receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, ACIP suggests the patient receive their first dose “no earlier than two months of age.”
- Parents and healthcare providers should identify any hepatitis B risks in their households.
- Follow-up doses should be discussed with the child’s healthcare provider.
CDC re-affirmed that individual-based decision-making vaccines are still covered by Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Vaccines for Children Program, and plans from the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.
