Oregon Health Authority strongly supports the West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA) recommendation that newborns continue to receive hepatitis B vaccination at birth.  

The West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA) is a partnership between California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington to ensure that public health recommendations are guided by safety, efficacy, transparency, access and trust. 

WCHA recommends that newborns weighing at least 2,000 grams (4 pounds, 7 ounces) get the first dose within 24 hours of birth, followed by completion of the vaccine series. 

This recommendation aligns with trusted national medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.   

Importance of the hepatitis B “birth dose” vaccine 

Hepatitis B is a highly infectious virus that attacks the liver and can cause chronic liver disease, liver cancer, liver failure and death. It spreads easily – even without visible blood or body fluids and can survive on surfaces for up to seven days.  

Often, people with chronic hepatitis B don’t know they’re infected. Household members may unknowingly infect infants following birth. Before the United States adopted a recommendation for universal infant hepatitis B vaccination in 1991, thousands of children were infected each year — both at birth and during childhood. 

Infants and young children are especially vulnerable: up to 90 percent of infants infected at birth develop chronic infection and 25 percent of infected children die prematurely from hepatitis-related disease.  

Federal changes to hepatitis B vaccination recommendations lack credible evidence 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to end the universal recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination for all infants at birth. The ACIP also voted that parents should consult their provider regarding blood tests following each dose of the vaccine series.  

There was no credible evidence presented to support either of these changes. The unproven recommendation to obtain blood tests to guide the number of hepatitis B shots will subject infants to painful and unnecessary blood draws, increase health care costs, delay immunization and risks decreased protection against infection. 

The hepatitis B vaccine is effective, well tolerated and decades of global data support its safety 

A review by the Vaccine Integrity Project found that the vaccine is safe regardless of when it is given and there are no safety benefits to delaying the first dose. Delaying the first dose increases the risk of infection and jeopardizes completion of the full vaccine series, which is required for long-lasting protection. Completion of the vaccine series has been shown to offer the best protection.  

“The birth of a child is a precious occasion that should be the start of many years of happiness for a family,” said Dean Sidelinger, M.D., M.S.Ed., health officer and state epidemiologist at OHA. “That happiness should not be marred by an increased risk of a preventable hepatitis B infection. Years of scientific evidence supports hepatitis B vaccination for newborns within 24 hours of birth, which can prevent serious illness and premature death.” 

To learn more, you can read about rising pertussis cases in Oregon in our news release.