MedPage Today on Wednesday ran the latest in a series of mainstream articles defending the hepatitis B (Hep B) vaccine as safe, effective and necessary for every newborn baby born in the U.S.
The articles are in response to concerns recently raised by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Martin Kulldorff, Ph.D., chair of the vaccine advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
At his first meeting in June, Kulldorff announced that the panel may revisit its longstanding recommendation that the vaccine be given to all babies at birth.
MedPage said Kulldorff and Kennedy’s assertions “could erode public confidence in a vaccine credited with virtually eliminating childhood transmission of the virus in the U.S.”
Critics have long raised concerns about the safety and necessity of giving the vaccine to newborns, particularly those not at risk for the disease. Today, the Hep B vaccine contains at least 250 micrograms of aluminum, and aluminum exposure has been linked to autism.
Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It can range from a mild, short-term, acute illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, long-term, chronic infection.