Hepatitis B vaccines for infants fall 10% over two years

U.S. newborn hepatitis B vaccination rates fell more than 10 percentage points between 2023 and 2025 from 83.5% to 73.2%, an analysis found. JAMA Network Open published the electronic medical record analysis of 12 million infants at more than 1,800 hospitals and 41,500 clinics. The researchers note the decrease corresponds with increased skepticism around childhood vaccination following the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2025, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee overseeing vaccine recommendations that was revamped by vaccine critic and Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped its recommendation that every newborn receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The researchers urge physicians to encourage hepatitis B vaccines among newborns to prevent a resurgence of hepatitis B infections in children. (MedPage Today article, 2/23/26)