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Michigan Defies CDC, Keeps Universal Hepatitis B Birth Dose Amid National Rollback

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CDC Ends Universal Birth‑Dose Recommendation for Newborns The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the routine hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth is no longer a universal recommendation. The dose will now be advised only for infants whose mothers test positive for hepatitis B or when maternal testing is absent. Parents and physicians may choose to delay the first dose until the child is two months old. [2][3]

Advisory Committee Vote and Acting Director Acceptance An 8‑3 vote by the federal advisory committee recommended postponing the birth dose for low‑risk newborns. Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill formally adopted the committee’s guidance on December 16, 2025. The change aligns the agency’s policy with the committee’s recommendation after years of a universal schedule. [2][3]

Medical Leaders Warn of Increased Infant Hepatitis B Risk Physicians and public‑health officials, including an AMA trustee, warned that removing the universal birth dose could raise chronic infection rates, noting that up to 90 % of infected infants develop lifelong disease. Critics argue the policy creates confusion and may lead to preventable illness and deaths. The AMA and other groups continue to endorse the birth dose for all newborns despite the CDC shift. [1][2][3]

Michigan Directs Providers to Follow AAP/AAFP Schedules Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, instructed state physicians to adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians schedules rather than the new CDC guidance. She emphasized that those schedules remain “well‑evidenced” and should stay in effect until officially rescinded. This state directive effectively maintains the universal birth‑dose practice within Michigan. [1]

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Timeline

1991 – The CDC adds a hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth to the routine infant schedule, achieving a 95 % drop in childhood infections and preventing an estimated 90,000 deaths over the next three decades. [2][6]

June 9, 2025 – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismisses all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and appoints a new panel that includes several anti‑vaccine advocates, reshaping the advisory process for U.S. vaccine policy. [1][6][7][15][16]

Dec 3, 2025 – ACIP schedules a meeting for Dec 4‑5 to consider revising the long‑standing recommendation that medically stable newborns receive a hepatitis B dose within 24 hours of birth. [6]

Dec 4, 2025 (morning) – The committee votes 6‑3 to postpone its decision on the birth‑dose recommendation until the following day, citing confusion over the wording of the voting questions. [7][8][12]

Dec 4, 2025 (afternoon) – During the meeting, presenters Dr. Cynthia Nevison and Dr. Mark Blaxill cite a retracted study and modeling that downplay transmission risk, prompting Dr. Jason Goldman to remark that “the presentations are not following science.” [9][10]

Dec 5, 2025 – ACIP votes 8‑3 to end the universal hepatitis B birth‑dose, shifting to individual‑based decision‑making and allowing families to delay the first dose until at least two months of age if they choose. [1][5][14][15][16][20]

Dec 5, 2025 – Public‑health physician Dr. Vin Gupta tells KING 5 that “ending the universal birth‑dose recommendation will sow confusion and doubt about vaccine safety,” warning that the change could erode trust in CDC, HHS, and FDA guidance. [19]

Dec 5, 2025 – President Donald Trump orders health officials to review the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule and compare it with peer‑country practices, signaling a possible broader overhaul of vaccine recommendations. [1]

Dec 6, 2025 – The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and the American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) announce they will continue to provide no‑cost coverage for hepatitis B vaccines through 2026, regardless of the upcoming policy shift. [4][18]

Dec 7, 2025 – ACIP finalizes its guidance: providers must counsel parents of hepatitis‑negative mothers before vaccinating, and insurers are expected to maintain coverage under the ACA’s no‑cost‑share rule for ACIP‑recommended vaccines. [4]

Dec 10, 2025 – The CDC’s advisory committee officially pivots to maternal testing as the primary trigger for newborn vaccination; infants of hepatitis B‑positive mothers still receive a birth dose, while all others rely on shared decision‑making and may start the series at two months. [3]

Dec 16, 2025 – Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill formally adopts the ACIP recommendation, ending the universal birth‑dose and limiting it to babies whose mothers test positive or are untested; the series for other infants begins at two months. [11][17]

Dec 19, 2025 – Michigan’s chief medical executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian instructs state physicians to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians schedules rather than the CDC’s delayed‑dose guidance, emphasizing evidence‑based practice and urging removal of barriers to vaccine access. [13]

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