Study Calls Into Question Effectiveness of Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns
Hepatitis B vaccine was not effective in preventing asymptomatic occult HBV infection in babies, which may occur in up to 40 percent of babies born to hepatitis-B-positive mothers. Hepatitis B is a primarily blood-transmitted adult disease associated with risky lifestyle choices such as unprotected sex with multiple partners and intravenous drug use involving sharing needles. Hepatitis B is not primarily a "children's disease" or one that is a common threat to newborn babies in the U.S. Any protection offered by the hepatitis B vaccine may wane by the time a child reaches his or her teenage years -- the time when acquiring a hepatitis B infection may be more likely. More than 1,500 deaths have been reported in the U.S. following hepatitis B shots and at least 60 serious health problems or adverse unintended consequences have been associated with hepatitis B vaccination.
