Governor Healey Issues Warning Against Hepatitis B Vaccine Misinformation

In a decisive move ahead of a key CDC committee vote, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey pledged Wednesday that the hepatitis B vaccine would remain available to newborns in the state, regardless of potential changes to federal recommendations.

“It’s proven, it’s effective, and we want to take care of our little babies,” Healey stated at an event that included vaccine manufacturers, physicians, and public health experts. “That will remain true in Massachusetts no matter what ACIP does in the next couple of days.”

Currently, the CDC recommends administering an initial dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth for medically stable infants weighing at least 4.4 pounds—a guideline that has existed in some form since 1991. Follow-up doses are given at one month and six months. Between 1990 and 2019, hepatitis B infections dropped an impressive 99 percent in children and teenagers, according to a 2023 study published in the official journal of the U.S. Surgeon General.

Hepatitis B, a liver infection that can be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby, poses serious long-term health risks including liver failure, liver cancer, and cirrhosis. The virus can also spread between adults through needle sharing and sexual contact.

Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein described the newborn hepatitis B vaccine as “one of the greatest public health interventions of our time.” Though critics have raised concerns about administering vaccines early in life, a report released Tuesday by the University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project concluded that delaying vaccination would not enhance safety and could leave infants vulnerable to infection.

This stance represents the latest in a series of actions by the Healey administration to counter Trump administration policies on vaccines. In September, Massachusetts became the first state to require insurers to cover COVID-19 shots and other vaccinations recommended by state health officials, regardless of federal guidance. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health maintains authority to issue its own vaccine recommendations.

“In Massachusetts, we follow the science, the data, and we listen to our medical experts,” Healey emphasized.

The upcoming ACIP vote comes amid significant changes to the committee under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services. Earlier this year, Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and appointed new members, including known vaccine skeptics. In September, the reconstituted panel recommended restrictions on combination vaccines for childhood diseases and declined to recommend COVID-19 vaccinations.

Commissioner Goldstein expressed concern that fighting vaccine misinformation has become “90 percent” of his job. “The truth we must face now is that the guidance emerging from the CDC at this moment, with this administration, does not reflect the best, most current science,” he stated. “Protecting [Massachusetts residents’ health] sometimes requires difficult choices, including choosing not to follow federal guidance when that guidance falls short.”

According to the ACIP meeting agenda, the committee may also discuss broader changes to the childhood immunization schedule, a prospect Goldstein warned could further erode public confidence in vaccines.

“The childhood schedule is the backbone of prevention in pediatrics. It’s built on rigorous science and real world impact,” he said. “Altering it without the strongest scientific rationale carries enormous consequences for families and communities.”

Goldstein noted that after Massachusetts issued its own COVID-19 vaccine recommendations in September, he has not observed retaliation from federal authorities, but he vowed to continue providing evidence-based guidance because it’s the “right thing” to do.

Healey advised Massachusetts residents to maintain communication with their pediatricians about childhood immunizations. “Vaccines are safe and effective, and vaccines will continue to be available in Massachusetts, no matter what happens in D.C.,” she assured the public.