Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), Blasts Dangerous ACIP Decision to Stop Recommending Birth Dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine

Today, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), the first pediatrician elected to Congress, released the following statement after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to stop recommending the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine.

"As expected and feared, RFK Jr.’s anti-vaxxer stacked Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) just ended the standard practice of vaccinating every newborn against hepatitis B, a terrible disease that infants can be exposed to at birth and from contact with people who unknowingly have hepatitis B. The ramifications of today’s decision – made without any indication that a newborn dose is unsafe – will be horrific. Ninety percent of those infected as newborns will go on to have chronic hepatitis B, and many of them will die prematurely from liver disease or liver cancer.

"This is entirely preventable. We have already tried only immunizing people thought to be ‘at risk’, but did not see near elimination of new cases until universal vaccination at birth. Today's decision will cause our nation's children to get infected and die needlessly. I will do all I can to fight against this decision. Parents, please trust your pediatrician, not RFK, Jr."