RFK Jr., CDC panel casting doubt on the hepatitis B vaccine. Here’s why it’s safe
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and members of the newly appointed vaccine panel Doubt the Hepatitis B vaccine and vaccination application of newborns.
During the first meeting of Disease Control Centers and Prevention Advisory Committee (ACIP) since Kennedy last week Removed all previous seating members And Seven new members were appointedThe president questioned whether it was “wise” to shoot every newborn before leaving the hospital.
Martin Kulldorff, a former Harvard Medical Faculty Professor, said that a new working group will discuss the application.
In addition, Kennedy claimed that during an interview with Tucker Carlson at the beginning of this week, the CDC’s hepatitis B vaccine increased the risk of autism and that the researchers kept the results of the study from the public.
HHS did not immediately respond to ABC News’s request for work in Kennedy’s interview.
A infectious disease expert told ABC News that hepatitis B vaccine is insecure and that the vaccination at birth is the key to eliminating the virus among children.
What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by hepatitis B virus according to CDC. The virus is contaminated with a person who is infected with blood, semen or other body fluid of an infected person.
San Francisco is an infectious disease specialist at the University of California. Peter Chin-Hong, in his statement to ABC News, newborns can be infected with birth or daily contact, because the virus can survive around for about a week.
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CDC has acute hepatitis B symptoms up to half of all big children, adolescents and adults. However, most children have no symptoms under the age of 5 years.
Chin-Hong, “Hepatitis B… It causes inflammation in the liver… And inflammation leads to the liver not to work well.” He said. “So this cirrhosis and liver failure and ultimately liver cancer. The longer the hepatitis B, the higher the risk of cirrhosis or liver failure and liver cancer.”
According to CDC, acute hepatitis B infection, a short -term disease, can lead to lifetime infection known as chronic hepatitis B.
Chin-Hong said that if someone was born with hepatitis B or infected as a child, he had a high chance of liver failure or liver cancer as an adult.
Benefits of vaccination
Chin-Hong said it was the best way to prevent someone to prevent Hepatitis B and protect themselves.
Vaccine first developed in the early 1980s. Depending on the vaccine brand, hepatitis B vaccine is two or three shooting series. Hkm.
. Childhood vaccination program It recommends that infants be vaccinated with a second dose between one to two months at birth and a potential third dose between 6 months and 15 months.
“The more shoots you shoot, the higher the chance of vaccination.” He said. “If you get three shots, over 97% is above the activities.”
Asip in 1991 Recommended for Hepatitis B According to CDC, there were 18,000 hepatitis B cases in the USA to reduce transmission.
Since then, cases have decreased significantly. CDC data In 2022, the rate of cases between the ages of 19 shows that it was less than 0.1 per 100,000.
“Very, very rare, Chin Chin-Hong said. “So we have achieved great success and the United States is a mirror for the rest of the world … 97% of the countries have a recommendation for hepatitis B vaccine in infants. Not only infection and liver failure, but also liver cancer was really changed.”
Why is Hepatitis B vaccine safe?
During the ACIP meeting last week, Kulldorff implied that children received too many vaccines these days.
“The number of vaccinations taken by our children and adolescents today, the children in other developed countries, and the most of us in this room,” overcomes that the child’s child. ” He said.
Alex Wong/Getty Images – Photo: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 16 April 2025, Washington, DC at a press conference at the Department of Health and Human Services
Chin-Hong, adding vaccines to the vaccination program, said that children have more protection against diseases than 10 or even 20 years ago and the structure of the vaccines is different.
“Our way of vaccination is very different,” he said. “They pass through smaller parts of the virus instead of the entire virus itself or bacteria. That means that infants are actually exposed to better vaccines to less antigen or bacteria.”
According to Chin-Hong, Hepatitis B vaccine, such as well-worked vaccines will be revived Acıp, explaining that the restructuring will be restructured Acıp, explaining that the restructuring Acıp, will be rebuilt, will be revived.
As for Kennedy’s claim, the HHS secretary has long been skeptical who refused to say that vaccines did not cause autism despite many high -quality work that could not find such a connection during the approval hearing earlier this year.
“There is no evidence that Hepatitis B vaccine leads to autism or a risk factor for autism, and this is indisputable,” Chin-Hong said. He said.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.
