New York’s hepatitis B vaccination recommendations for infants and children remain unchanged following a federal vaccine advisory committee’s vote Friday to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born, the state Department of Health said.

The committee voted Friday to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive; for other babies, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate.

The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jim O’Neill, is expected to decide later whether to accept the committee’s recommendation.

“Newborn hepatitis B vaccination is a cornerstone of preventive care for infants, and our recommendations in New York Stat

See Full Page