A US panel of vaccine advisers has voted to end a longstanding recommendation for vaccinations against the hepatitis B virus (HBV) right after birth.
The US has vaccinated newborns against hepatitis B since 1991, and data suggests that since then, the shots have prevented an estimated 90,000 deaths.
In June, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic, fired all the members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (Acip) and replaced them with several others who are critical of vaccines.
On Friday, the group voted to recommend "individual-based decision-making" on whether to vaccinate newborns born to mothers who have tested negative for the virus.
The new guidance also suggests that babies who do not receive a birth dose of the vaccine should get their initial dose of the shot "no earlier than two months of age", a recommendation that several members of the group opposed.
