The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has spoken out to reject a new, unfounded recommendation from the federal government’s CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The group, comprising of 17 individuals appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a well-documented anti-vaxxer, voted to change the immunization schedule for the hepatitis B vaccine.
The federal government now recommends babies of mothers who do not test positive for hepatitis B get their shot at two months old, rather than the 30-year standard of being vaccinated within 24 hours after birth.
Many leading health organizations in the country have spoken out against this recommendation, which is not considered to be based on any form of new data or evidence, including the Wisconsin DHS, which has said, “Decades of data have supported the recommendation to administer the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours after birth…Today, there is no new evidence that would justify changes to this longstanding recommendation that has protected, and continues to protect, the health of infants.”
While the American Academy of Pediatrics said, “ACIP’s actions will harm children, their families, and the medical professionals who care for them.”
Since 1991, when the 24-hour vaccination model was implemented, hepatitis B infections in infants have dropped a staggering 99%.
The full statement regarding the hepatitis B vaccine from the Wisconsin DHS can be found by visiting dhs.wisconsin.gov.
