Long Beach Health Department Reaffirms Commitment to Infant Hepatitis B Protection

City of Long Beach
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90802
www.longbeach.gov

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) reaffirms its longstanding recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. This follows the recent decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to change federal guidance.

There is no new safety concern prompting this change in federal guidance, and infants continue to be at risk for hepatitis B infection. Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable, highly infectious virus that attacks the liver and can lead to lifelong illness, liver cancer or death. The hepatitis B vaccine remains one of the most effective tools to prevent infection and protect infants.

Newborns are especially vulnerable. If infected at birth or in the first year of life, up to 90 percent of babies develop chronic hepatitis B, and one in four of those will die from related liver disease later in life. Because many people with hepatitis B do not know they are infected, the vaccine provides a critical layer of protection. It helps prevent transmission from parents, caregivers or others who may unknowingly carry the virus.

Long Beach continues to follow guidance from the California Department of Public Health, the West Coast Health Alliance and trusted national medical organizations. These organizations continue to recommend that newborns receive a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, followed by completion of the vaccination series. This birth dose schedule has been safely used for more than 30 years and has reduced hepatitis B infections in U.S. infants by more than 99% since universal vaccination was adopted in 1991.

For more information on vaccines and local resources, visit longbeach.gov/immunizations.