IDPH issues statement following ACIP vote on newborn Hepatitis B vaccine recommendation

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., (KBSI) — The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) released a statement Friday from Director Dr. Sameer Vohra in response to the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) decision to remove its long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.

“Since universal newborn vaccination began in 1991, hepatitis B infection among U.S. children has decreased by 99 percent,” Vohra said. “For decades, the best available science has shown that administering the hepatitis B vaccine at birth is safe, effective and essential in preventing chronic liver disease and liver cancer later in life.”

Vohra said he is “deeply concerned” by ACIP’s shift away from universal newborn vaccination, noting the absence of new scientific evidence to support the change. He emphasized that Illinois would continue to follow science-based public health policy and has taken steps to protect vaccine access and maintain evidence-guided recommendations.

Illinois’ current guidance remains unchanged. Earlier this year, IDPH adopted CDC immunization schedules revised on Aug. 7, 2025, which continue to recommend hepatitis B vaccination for all newborns. The Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet Dec. 16 to review ACIP’s latest action.

Vohra credited Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration for enacting policies — including the recently signed HB 767 — aimed at preventing barriers to vaccines. IDPH will continue to rely on “credible, transparent, science-based processes” to protect Illinois families, he said.