AAFP Supports Maintaining Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination at Birth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 5, 2025

Media Contact:
pr@aafp.org

The AAFP strongly supports maintaining universal Hep B vaccination at birth, and we call on the CDC to ensure this life-saving protection remains the standard of care. The benefits of protecting every newborn from Hepatitis B far outweigh the risks. Before routine vaccination at birth, 18,000 U.S. children contracted HepB each year by age 10. This debilitating illness is not confined to high-risk groups — it can spread through something as small as a cut or an item with trace amounts of blood.

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