{"id":15453,"date":"2025-12-04T15:51:38","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T21:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/?post_type=jtf_topics&p=15453"},"modified":"2025-12-31T15:57:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T21:57:38","slug":"does-the-u-s-need-a-hep-b-birth-dose","status":"publish","type":"jtf_topics","link":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/jtf_topics\/does-the-u-s-need-a-hep-b-birth-dose\/","title":{"rendered":"Does the U.S. need a Hep B birth dose?"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row source=”” text=”Clinical Trials” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” link=”” css=”.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Claim:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]With the\u00a0Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices\u00a0<\/a>(ACIP) voting this week on when a person should receive their first Hepatitis B vaccine, we want to explain why giving the\u00a0vaccine at birth<\/a>\u00a0is the best choice.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Facts:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]The\u00a0hepatitis B birth dose<\/a>\u00a0vaccine is a major public health success. Since it became routine in 1991, it has cut new infections in children and teens by 99%. This means many young people have been protected from lifelong liver disease, liver failure, and liver cancer. Because of this vaccine, ending hepatitis B in the U.S. is now possible.<\/p>\n

Some people, including the Secretary of Health and Human Services, have raised safety fears about the newborn hepatitis B shot.\u00a0These concerns are\u00a0not supported by evidence<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hepatitis B\u00a0(Hep B) can spread through sex, but that\u2019s not the only way it spreads. Doctors recommend giving babies the\u00a0Hep B\u00a0vaccine at birth because many babies were being born to mothers who didn\u2019t know they had the infection. Scientists believe that about\u00a030\u201340% of people<\/a>\u00a0with long-lasting (chronic)\u00a0Hep B\u00a0got it either when they were born or when they were very young. Only about half of mothers with\u00a0Hep B\u00a0are found before they give birth.<\/p>\n

Even today, around\u00a025,000<\/a>\u00a0babies in the U.S. are born each year to moms with\u00a0Hep B. If a newborn catches it, about\u00a090% of them will stay infected<\/a>\u00a0for life. This raises their chances of\u00a0liver disease and liver cancer<\/a>\u00a0later on.<\/p>\n

There are many reasons why mothers don\u2019t know they have\u00a0Hep B. The test for\u00a0Hep B\u00a0is harder<\/a>\u00a0to understand\u00a0than some other tests. A mom might get infected after her first test during pregnancy, but before giving birth. Tests can also be wrong sometimes, showing a false \u201cnegative.\u201d Mistakes can happen too\u2014like ordering the wrong test, reading the results wrong, or not sharing the results clearly.<\/p>\n

Hepatitis B\u00a0can also live outside the body for up to\u00a07 days<\/a>, even in dried blood. That means it can spread in other ways, too, like through bites in daycare, dirty needles, or bandages left in public places. This doesn\u2019t happen often, but it\u2019s still possible.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Hep B\u00a0vaccine is\u00a0very safe<\/a>. The most common side effects are just soreness or pain where the shot was given. Serious side effects are extremely rare\u2014so rare that none have been proven after millions of doses. Because the vaccine is safe, and babies can get\u00a0Hep B\u00a0at birth or soon after, doctors give the first dose right when a baby is born.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Hep B vaccine at birth is safe and protects babies from chronic illness, liver disease, and cancer. It’s key to ending hepatitis B in the U.S.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"template":"","jtf_topic_subjects":[199,211,218],"class_list":["post-15453","jtf_topics","type-jtf_topics","status-publish","hentry","jtf_topic_subjects-childhood-vaccines","jtf_topic_subjects-hepatitis-b","jtf_topic_subjects-vaccine-safety","entry","no-media"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/15453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/jtf_topics"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/15453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15456,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/15453\/revisions\/15456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"jtf_topic_subjects","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topic_subjects?post=15453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}