CDC vaccine advisers' new focus on hepatitis B tests in pregnancy is not enough, some doctors warn

CNN —

Many medical organizations and frontline health care providers are grappling with a challenge they haven't had to face in many years: how to protect newborns against hepatitis B.

Last week, a federal advisory panel reversed its longstanding recommendation for universal vaccination at birth. Instead, the panel decided to rely on a mother's test results for hepatitis B during pregnancy. The babies of women who test positive should still be vaccinated shortly after birth, the vaccine advisers said, and if the test is negative, parents should make a decision with their health care provider on whether or when to vaccinate the child. Vaccinations would still be available to families who want them and insurance should still cover them , members of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control an