Department of Health recommends hepatitis B vaccine

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health continues to strongly recommend hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns, with the first dose within 24 hours of birth.

The statement comes in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendation to delay the initial dose for babies whose mothers test negative for hepatitis B. Since 1991, when a birth dose was recommended for all newborns, hepatitis B infections have decreased by 99 percent in children and teens.

The New Mexico Department of Health recommendation aligns with the American Academy of Pediatrics and many other professional health organizations. The three-dose vaccination series against hepatitis B provides protection into adulthood and significantly decreases risk for hepatitis B-associated liver diseases, including cancer.

“For decades, the hepatitis B vaccine has proven safe and effective at protecting children from infection, including in settings like day care and schools where others may not know they are infected,” said Dr. Miranda Durham, chief medical officer for the department. “The vaccine provides a safety net for newborns at a time when they are most susceptible to disease.”

Hepatitis B is a highly infectious virus that can survive on surfaces for up to seven days and often spreads without visible blood exposure. Before universal newborn vaccination began in 1991, thousands of children were infected annually. Up to 90 percent of infants infected at birth develop chronic hepatitis B and about 25 percent die prematurely from related liver disease.

Newborns can be exposed during birth or from an infected family member or caregiver who may not know that they carry the virus. Early vaccination is the best protection.

Hepatitis B vaccine, including a birth dose, will continue to be available through the federal Vaccines for Children program as well as Medicaid and private insurance.

For more information, New Mexicans can consult their healthcare provider or call the New Mexico Department of Health Helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773) or text the Helpline at 66364 (NMDOH). Helpline hours are weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Helpline is also open during state and federal holidays.

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El Departamento de Salud recomienda la vacuna contra la hepatitis B.