Colorado still recommends universal hepatitis B vaccinations following CDC change
Colorado health officials continue to recommend universal hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns after the Trump administration changed a policy that has been an accepted standard for more than 30 years.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted last week to move away from a recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine, now recommending doses only for infants whose mothers test positive for the virus or whose status is unknown.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment next Wednesday will ask the Colorado Board of Health to incorporate vaccine recommendations from the 2025 American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends universal hepatitis B birth doses, into its vaccine requirements for children in schools. The emergency rulemaking is necessary so that the switch to following the academy’s recommendations can take effect immediately, CDPHE spokesperson Hope Shuler said.
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Colorado still requires children attending child care or school to receive the hepatitis B vaccine, and most insurance plans will continue to pay for the birth dose of the vaccine.
The U.S. has seen a 99 percent reduction in pediatric hepatitis B infections since the birth dose was first recommended in 1991. Colorado saw only 23 cases of perinatal hepatitis B between 2001 and 2015, and the state has seen no confirmed cases since 2016, according to CDPHE.
“Colorado has spent decades building an effective system of maternal screening and universal birth dose vaccination that has nearly eliminated infant hepatitis B infections in our state,” Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of CDPHE, said in a statement. “The evidence is strong, the science is clear, and the vaccine has an exceptional safety profile. We want providers and families to know that the hepatitis B birth dose remains safe, effective, and strongly recommended for all newborns.”
Colorado has spent decades building an effective system of maternal screening and universal birth dose vaccination that has nearly eliminated infant hepatitis B infections in our state.
Dr. Ned Calonge, CDPHE’s chief medical officer, said the CDPHE wants providers to have all the information they need to explain to families the well-documented benefits of the vaccine.
“We still strongly recommend it, it’s still available, and it’s still paid for,” Calonge said. “We would like to just remind parents that nothing has changed around the evidence. It has a great effectiveness and benefit and no significant downsides, so nothing really should change in terms of the acceptability, or parents obtaining this dose for their newborns.”
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The 30 years of evidence showing the safety and efficacy of the hepatitis B vaccine speaks for itself, Calonge said, particularly its effectiveness in Colorado. He said parents should understand that the vaccine is still recommended by “every credible health care entity in our state and provider groups nationally.”
The risk of developing chronic hepatitis is much higher for newborns and children, Calonge said, which can lead to serious liver diseases including cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spent decades spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines and other health issues, fired all 17 previous members of the ACIP and replaced them with a slate of hand-picked appointees, many of whom are seen as vaccine skeptics.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, said the state will continue to reinforce the importance of the birth dose and ensure families have “the best information” available on its effectiveness.
“Colorado will continue to follow the science and strongly support the hepatitis B birth dose as a safe, simple, and effective protection for every newborn, even as ACIP creates confusion for families,” Polis said in a statement.
In September, Hunsaker Ryan issued a public health order to allow Coloradans to have continued access to COVID-19 vaccinations after the Trump administration limited who was eligible.
