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Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
Over the last several months, federal vaccine policy has undergone dramatic shifts under the current Administration, driven in part by changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). On December 5 and 6, 2025 ACIP reversed its longstanding guidance on the hepatis B vaccine birth dose, which has been in place since 1991 as a universal recommendation that all newborns receive the first hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth. On December 16th, 2025, the Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) formally adopted this change to the child immunization schedule. This marks a significant departure from decades of universal birth-dose guidance that helped reduce hepatitis B infection rates in children by more than 90 percent.
United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc (USET) Tribal Epidemiology Center (TEC) remains committed to the health and wellness of the communities we serve. We are deeply concerned that this change places greater burden on Indian Country as hepatitis B has historically been disproportionate in the American Indian /Alaska Native (AI/AN) population.
USET TEC Vaccine Recommendations:
- Continue to support universal hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, administered within the first 24 hours of life, unless contraindicated.
- All pregnant individuals should be tested for hepatitis B early in prenatal care, and results communicated to parents and providers prior to delivery.
- Follow evidence-based childhood vaccination schedules as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other professional medical organizations.
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