Hepatitis B Vaccine

AAP Recommends Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination in Newborns

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that all newborn infants weighing 2000 g or more receive the hepatitis B vaccine by 24 hours of age. This recommendation is in line with the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices guidelines for universal hepatitis B vaccine coverage in all newborns.

“When postexposure prophylaxis with both hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) is given, is timed appropriately, and is followed by completion of the infant hepatitis B immunization series, perinatal infection rates range from 0.7% to 1.1%,” the authors wrote.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
ACIP Releases Updated Influenza Vaccine Recommendations
Rotavirus Vaccine Has Prevented 380,000 Gastroenteritis-Related Hospitalizations
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition, the AAP recommended key steps for implementing appropriate administration of the vaccine:

  • Physicians should test mothers for hepatitis B prior to delivery and document their hepatitis B status on infant records.
  • All infants born to mothers with hepatitis B or whose hepatitis B status is unknown should receive hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin within 12 hours of birth.
  • Infants born below the 2000 g weight threshold to mothers with known hepatitis B negative status should receive the vaccine within 1 month of age or at hospital discharge, whichever comes first.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Committee on Infectious Diseases, Committee on Fetuses and Newborn. Elimination of perinatal hepatitis B: providing the first vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth [published online August 28, 2017]. Pediatrics. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-1870.