Our response to proposed changes in childhood immunization recommendations: posted here.

Our response to proposed changes in childhood immunization schedules

The proposed changes in childhood immunization schedules announced Aug 11 raise great concern about its potential impact on U.S. public health and confidence in evidence-based vaccine recommendations.

 Access to vaccines is about more than just insurance coverage. It includes access to timely, accurate information that can help parents make the best decisions for their children and their families. The proposed changes in childhood vaccination schedules undermines that access and threatens decades of well-established trust between the American public, their healthcare providers, and the scientists, researchers, and public health professionals who have dedicated their careers to ensuring the safety of vaccines.

 The health of America's families and children should not be a political issue. Current U.S. childhood vaccines, and immunization recommendations, were developed by individuals with extensive expertise in the medical and scientific fields and have undergone stringent review processes before they were introduced to the public. The narrative that our country's immunization schedule is unsafe is inconsistent with decades of scientific evidence, and dangerous at a time when parents are making life-changing decisions.

 The recommendation to vaccinate all children against hepatitis B, beginning at birth, was one of the greatest public health achievements in the U.S., and has protected millions of children from chronic hepatitis B and liver cancer. As hepatitis B remains one of the leading causes of liver cancer, it is imperative that we continue to provide all children with access to evidence-based information and practices to prevent this disease and its consequences.

 The Hepatitis B Foundation continues to recommend the universal hepatitis B birth dose, and the immunization of all children against hepatitis B, regardless of risk factors. These immunization practices, supported by pediatricians and family medicine providers across the nation, have proven to be the most effective way to protect children against hepatitis B, and the threat of liver cancer.