Introduction to the Hearing
The future of access to critical childhood vaccines, including the hepatitis B shot, became a flashpoint in a Senate health committee hearing Wednesday, just a day before an influential vaccine panel is set to meet.
At the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing, Susan Monarez, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the final meeting with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that led to her being fired in August was tense.
Concerns Over Vaccine Schedule Changes
Monarez said she refused two demands by Kennedy: fire career agency officials and sign off vaccine recommendations without seeing any data.
“He said if I was unwilling to do both, I should resign,” she said. “I responded that I could not pre-approve recommendations without reviewing the evidence, and I had no basis to fire scientific experts.”
Senators questioned Monarez for roughly three hours about her interactions with Kennedy, who said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Sept. 4 that Monarez was ousted because she wasn’t trustworthy.
Potential Consequences of Changes
A major concern voiced mostly by Democratic senators, who had voted against Monarez during her confirmation hearing in July,was that fewer vaccines for kids could lead to more deaths from preventable diseases — especially if any new recommendations weren’t based on scientific data.
“The concern is Robert F Kennedy [Jr.] is going to make America sicker again,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “They’re going to send us towards more disease, more death and more despair in our nation.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the committee’s chair, asked Monarez if Kennedy had told her he was going to change the childhood vaccination schedule.
“He said that the childhood vaccine schedule would be changing starting in September, and I needed to be on board with it,” Monarez said.
Upcoming Vaccine Panel Meeting
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is meeting Thursday and Friday, when 12 members appointed by Kennedy are expected to review and vote on shots for measles, Covid and hepatitis B.
The group will decide whether to change recommendations for hepatitis B, as well as the combination measles-mumps-rubella and chickenpox vaccine. Another vote on this fall’s Covid shot is scheduled for Friday.
Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s former chief medical officer, who testified alongside Monarez, said she expected the committee will recommend delaying the hepatitis B shot in children until the age of 4.
“There is going to likely be a discussion about hepatitis B vaccine, very specifically trying to dislodge the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine and to push it later in life,” Houry told senators.
Importance of Hepatitis B Vaccine
The hepatitis B shot is given to infants as three-dose series. Typically, children are recommended to get the first dose within 24 hours of birth, the second dose at one month, and the third between six to 18 months of age.
Houry said that prior to her departure from the CDC, she hadn’t seen any data to support changing the recommendation.
“I’m concerned about the future of CDC and public health in our country,” she said. ”If we continue down this path, we are not prepared, not just for pandemics, but for preventing chronic health disease, and we’re going to see kids dying of vaccine preventable diseases.”
Why Change Timing for Hepatitis B Vaccines?
The CDC doesn’t mandate vaccination. It recommends a schedule for children to get shot for communicable diseases. The vaccine advisory group regularly reviews data and updates the schedule based on guidance by doctors or scientists with expertise in the subject matter, said Dorit Reiss, a vaccine policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco.
Kennedy’s push to change when children are immunized and which vaccines are available to them comes amid dwindling confidence in the agency by the public.
Conclusion
The potential changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, particularly the hepatitis B shot, have sparked concerns among health experts and lawmakers. The upcoming ACIP meeting will play a crucial role in determining the future of vaccine recommendations, and it is essential to base these decisions on scientific evidence to ensure the health and well-being of children.
FAQs
Q: What is the current recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine?
A: The current recommendation is for infants to receive the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, followed by two more doses at one month and between six to 18 months of age.
Q: Why is the hepatitis B vaccine important?
A: The hepatitis B vaccine is crucial in preventing hepatitis B infection, which can lead to chronic liver disease, liver cancer, and other health complications.
Q: What are the potential consequences of changing the vaccine schedule?
A: Changing the vaccine schedule without scientific evidence could lead to an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly among children.
Q: Who is responsible for making changes to the vaccine schedule?
A: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is responsible for reviewing and updating the vaccine schedule based on scientific evidence and expert guidance.
