12-21-2024, 05:09 PM
I think that vaccines along with good nutrition, exercise, sanitation, and advances in medicine all contributed to decreased incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases in the Western world.
For hepatitis B, for example, the most significant risk to the newborn is transmission by mom with untreated hepatitis B during labor and delivery. It is unlikely that the newborn would be engaged in other high risk behaviors (sex and needle sharing) for hepatitis B. However, according to the CDC, only 0.5% of pregnancies in the US were to moms who were positive for hepatitis B. So, it seems risk of baby contracting hepatitis B at birth is very low, yet the three dose series for the hepatitis B vaccine start as soon as birth.
Even if mom had hepatitis B, there are medications to decrease the transmission risk to baby. If baby does get infected, there is hepatitis B treatment.
So, I am questioning the universality of hepatitis B vaccine to all babies, even those with no risk.
For hepatitis B, for example, the most significant risk to the newborn is transmission by mom with untreated hepatitis B during labor and delivery. It is unlikely that the newborn would be engaged in other high risk behaviors (sex and needle sharing) for hepatitis B. However, according to the CDC, only 0.5% of pregnancies in the US were to moms who were positive for hepatitis B. So, it seems risk of baby contracting hepatitis B at birth is very low, yet the three dose series for the hepatitis B vaccine start as soon as birth.
Even if mom had hepatitis B, there are medications to decrease the transmission risk to baby. If baby does get infected, there is hepatitis B treatment.
So, I am questioning the universality of hepatitis B vaccine to all babies, even those with no risk.