The New Mexico Department of Health recommends Hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns in opposition to the Centers for Disease Control’s new recommendation to delay the first dose for some infants.
The state’s recommendation aligns with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional health organizations. The state says the three-dose vaccination series against Hepatitis B provides protection into adulthood and significantly decreases risk for Hepatitis B-associated liver diseases, including cancer. The NMDOH said it continues to strongly recommend Hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns despite the CDC's new guidance, with the first dose within 24 hours of birth.
Since 1991, when a birth dose began to be the norm for all newborns, Hepatitis B infections have decreased by 99 percent in children and teens. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently changed longstanding CDC guidance to recommend delaying the initial dose for babies whose mothers test negative for Hepatitis B. NPR has reported that those changes were made over strong objections from many in the medical community.