The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices delayed its vote on the hepatitis B shot schedule, pushing it to Friday.
During the panel’s meeting on Thursday, members had disagreements and were confused over the voting language, resulting in their decision to push the vote to Friday morning instead of holding it on Thursday afternoon as scheduled, NBC News reported. The committee was originally supposed to vote on the hepatitis B vaccine schedule in September.
ACIP usually evaluates new vaccines or new indications for them, rather than reviewing shots that have been administered in the same way for decades.
For 34 years, the CDC has recommended that all newborns get a first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours after birth.
The panel is considering whether to change that guidance, instead suggesting that women who test negative for hepatitis B decide in consultation with a healthcare provider whether their baby should get the dose at birth.
