Illinois health officials reaffirm hepatitis B vaccination at birth

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., (KBSI) — The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday reaffirmed its recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, maintaining a longstanding public health practice aimed at preventing serious and potentially deadly infections.

IDPH said the guidance reflects recommendations from the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee and aligns with decades of scientific consensus supporting universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth. The announcement follows recent changes by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which altered longstanding federal guidance that previously called for universal birth vaccination.

“Parents deserve clear, trustworthy and science-based information when making decisions about their child’s health,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement. “The hepatitis B vaccine at birth is safe, effective and critical in preventing chronic liver disease and liver cancer later in life.”

Dr. Marielle Fricchione, chair of the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee, said the panel determined that maintaining the universal birth dose was in the best interest of public health.

“The committee concluded that changing the current recommendation would do more harm than good,” Fricchione said, citing concerns about feasibility, resource use and potential impacts on health equity.

The reaffirmed guidance is part of broader immunization recommendations issued by Vohra following a recent meeting of the advisory committee. The guidance includes continued recommendations for universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth, completion of the full hepatitis B vaccine series on schedule and screening all pregnant individuals for hepatitis B during the first trimester or at the first prenatal visit. High-risk individuals should also be screened at the time of delivery, according to IDPH.

IDPH also reaffirmed its recommendations for flu, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations, as well as routine childhood and adult vaccinations based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immunization schedules in effect as of Aug. 7, 2025.

Health officials said hepatitis B can be transmitted from an infected person to an infant at birth or through contact with infected family members or caregivers. An estimated half of Americans with hepatitis B are unaware they are infected, making universal vaccination at birth more effective than strategies based solely on maternal infection status.

Since universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth began in 1991, infections among U.S. children have dropped by 99 percent, according to IDPH. Officials noted that about 90 percent of infants infected at birth or during their first year of life develop chronic hepatitis B, and roughly one-quarter of those individuals later die from chronic liver disease.

IDPH said it remains committed to protecting children across Illinois from hepatitis B through science-based prevention and vaccination practices.