NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York state officials slammed a federal vaccine advisory committee’s vote Friday to drop the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born, with Gov. Kathy Hochul saying the Trump administration is "willing to let babies and children die."
A loud chorus of medical and public health leaders across the country decried the actions of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, whose current members were all appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading anti-vaccine activist.
For decades, all newborns were advised to get a hepatitis B shot at birth, a policy credited with preventing thousands of infections. But the advisory committee voted 8–3 to recommend the birth dose only for infants of mothers who test positive or weren’t tested, leaving the decision to parents and doctors for others, and starting the series at 2 months if they decline.
New York state and city officials were among those sounding off. They included Hochul, who said the decision could lead to the deaths of children, and New York City’s acting health commissioner, Dr. Michelle Morse, who said the panel is “no longer a trusted source.”
In a fiery statement, Hochul said: “As a mom who spent countless doctor’s office visits making sure my kids were vaccinated to protect them from deadly diseases, it’s devastating to see the Trump administration willing to let babies and children die.”
“I guess nothing should surprise us anymore,” added the governor, who has been a vocal critic of many of the Trump administration's policies.
The New York State Department of Health said Friday that it continues to recommend hepatitis B vaccination for infants and children.
“These national advisory votes do not alter New York’s evidence-based recommendations, which continue to include a hepatitis B vaccine birth dose for every newborn, without delay, as well as completion of the full vaccine series in infancy,” the department said in a press release.
Morse said the NYC Health Department also “continues to strongly recommend the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns to protect the health of our youngest New Yorkers.”
“The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which guides our nation’s vaccine policy, is no longer a trusted source,” Morse added. “The decision to ignore nearly thirty years of successful clinical evidence is harmful. We are witnessing the creation of confusion at the expense of our nation’s health, with significant risk toward our babies.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.