Body of News Release
Marin County, CA – Marin County Public Health is responding to last week’s federal vaccine advisory panel vote, which departs from long-standing evidence-based practice. To support informed choices, we have launched www.marinhhs.org/vaccine-resources, a new online hub with clear, trusted information on hepatitis B and other childhood vaccines. Parents and families are encouraged to review these materials to understand how vaccination protects their loved ones and our community.
To date, more than 1 billion doses of hepatitis B vaccine have been administered worldwide. Extensive global data show that the vaccine has a strong safety record and is highly effective at preventing hepatitis B infection and its long-term complications.
“This vote represents another step backward for child health at the national level, but it does not change what we know to be true,” said Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County Public Health Officer. “The hepatitis B vaccine at birth has a well-established safety and effectiveness record and is consistently supported by medical and scientific evidence. Our responsibility is to base newborn care on sound science, not political considerations, to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended a universal hepatitis B birth dose since 1991, after studies showed that a risk-based approach failed to prevent infections.
Since then, annual hepatitis B infections among infants and children have fallen by 99% from 16,000 cases to fewer than 20. Vaccinating within 24 hours of birth is essential, because the virus can be transmitted during delivery, and mothers may be unknowingly infected or receive false-negative test results. The birth dose closes this critical window of vulnerability and remains a cornerstone of newborn protection.
Waiting until later in life does not offer the same protection. Hepatitis B is a serious viral liver disease that can be transmitted at birth, and up to 90% of infected infants develop lifelong infection—a rate far higher than in older children or adults. Lifelong infection greatly increases the risk of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and premature death. Administering the vaccine at birth remains the single most effective way to prevent these outcomes and ensure long-term health.
National medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatricians and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, have voiced concern that the ACIP decision undermines long-standing, evidence-based practices that have protected newborns for decades.
The decision may have implications for access: more than half of all childhood vaccines administered in Marin County are provided through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which relies on ACIP recommendations to determine which vaccines are supplied at no cost to eligible families. Changes at the federal level could limit access, reduce choice for parents and providers, and create new barriers to timely vaccination.
“Parents deserve consistency, clarity, and choice.” Santora added. “While the national vote has introduced confusion, the science has not changed — and neither has our commitment to using it to guide newborn care in Marin County.”
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