Nurses associations in West Coast Health Alliance states oppose ACIP decision on Hepatitis B immunization

The Washington State Nurses Association, Oregon Nurses Association, American Nurses Association/California, and the Hawai’i-American Nurses Association oppose the decision by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to remove its longstanding newborn Hepatitis B immunization recommendation. We stand by the West Coast Health Alliance as well as expert institutions including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America in reaffirming the safety and efficacy of this vaccine.

This decision by ACIP ignores overwhelming evidence showing decades of progress in preventing a serious and potentially lifelong viral disease. Hepatitis B infection in infants can lead to chronic liver disease, liver cancer, and premature death. The birth dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine has been proven to be safe, effective, and essential in protecting newborns from preventable harm, particularly in cases where maternal screening may be missed, delayed, or incomplete.

Nurses are the largest and most trusted healthcare profession. Every day, we counsel families, administer vaccines, and see firsthand the lifesaving impact that timely immunizations have within our communities. The removal of this recommendation creates unnecessary confusion for parents and healthcare professionals alike and opens the door to increased health inequities—particularly for newborns in rural, underserved, or high-risk settings.

We call on Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill to reject the ACIP recommendation and uphold the universal Hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination recommendation. We urge the public to stand with nurses and the overwhelming scientific consensus: vaccines save lives, and weakening immunization guidelines puts public health at risk.