The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel voted Friday to change the recommendation for when children should get their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine . Instead of a first dose within 24 hours of birth — as the CDC has advised for more than 30 years — the panel voted to recommend delaying it until a child is 2 months old for children born to mothers who test negative for the virus.

The panel voted, in a 8-2 decision, to recommend individual decision-making in consultation with a health care provider to determine when or if to give the hepatitis B birth dose to a child whose mother tested negative for the virus.

Many medical experts and organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics opposed such a change, saying it will leave young chi

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