The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA) still recommend the hepatitis B shot for newborns despite a federal committee voting that not all babies need it.

Last week, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to end the recommendation that all U.S. babies receive the vaccine at birth.

Federal committee drops longtime hepatitis B recommendation

The committee, whose members were all appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now advises newborns be vaccinated if their mother tests positive for hepatitis B, or if their mother wasn’t tested. The decision on other babies’ vaccinations is up to the parents, according to The Associated Press (AP).

However, the DOH and the WCHA — an alliance between Wa

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