"At a controversial meeting of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel recently, members voted to remove a long-standing recommendation that all babies get a first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Public health experts derided the move, which goes against evidence that the shot is safe and effective. Members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and agency officials cited a curious rationale for the change: a need to align the U.S.'s vaccine schedule with Denmark's."
"The United States is not Denmark, says Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist who writes a popular health newsletter and who previously advised the CDC on its COVID policy. The health care and safety net system of the United States is drastically different than other high-income countries around the world. We should expect country-level policy decisions to vary. The U.S. has more than 340 million people; Denmark's population is a little more than six million."
The CDC's vaccine advisory panel voted to remove the long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth. Panel members and agency officials justified the change by citing a desire to align the U.S. vaccine schedule with Denmark. President Trump ordered a fast-tracked review to align the U.S. schedule with other developed peer countries, including Denmark. Public health experts criticized the decision as running counter to evidence that the hepatitis B shot is safe and effective. The United States and Denmark differ markedly in population size, demographic and economic homogeneity, and disease burden.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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