IDPH Reaffirms Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination for Newborns (Springfield, IL) – The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday reaffirmed its long-standing recommendation that all newborns in the state receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth, citing decades of scientific evidence showing the practice dramatically reduces infections and prevents serious liver disease later in life.
The guidance, issued by IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra, maintains Illinois’ universal birth-dose policy despite recent changes at the federal level. Earlier this year, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices revised its guidance that had previously called for universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth.
State health officials said Illinois’ position reflects recommendations from the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee, a panel of medical and public health experts that reviewed the latest data earlier this week.
“Parents deserve clear, trustworthy, and science-based information when making decisions about their child’s health,” Vohra said in a statement. “The hepatitis B vaccine at birth is safe, effective, and critical in preventing chronic liver disease and liver cancer later in life. Our recommendation ensures every newborn in Illinois receives the strongest protection against this potentially deadly infection.”
Members of the advisory committee emphasized that universal vaccination has been a public health success in Illinois and nationally. Dr. Marielle Fricchione, chair of the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee, said the panel unanimously recommended maintaining the current policy without changes.
“The committee determined that any changes would do more harm than good,” Fricchione said, citing concerns about feasibility, efficient use of resources and potential negative impacts on health equity.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that can be passed from an infected parent to an infant at birth, but it can also be transmitted through close contact with infected family members or caregivers. Health officials estimate that up to half of Americans living with hepatitis B are unaware they are infected, a factor that led public health experts to move away from strategies that relied solely on screening mothers.
Since universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth was adopted in the United States in 1991, infections among children have dropped by 99 percent, according to IDPH. The stakes remain high: about 90 percent of infants infected during their first year of life develop chronic hepatitis B, and roughly one-quarter of those individuals die from chronic liver disease.
The hepatitis B guidance is part of a broader set of immunization recommendations issued by Vohra under authority granted through House Bill 767, signed into law earlier this month by Gov. JB Pritzker. In addition to the universal birth dose, the guidance calls for infants to complete the full hepatitis B vaccine series on schedule and for all pregnant individuals to be screened for hepatitis B early in pregnancy, with additional screening at delivery for those at high risk.
IDPH also reaffirmed its recommendations for seasonal and routine immunizations, including flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines, as well as adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s child, adolescent and adult immunization schedules.
State health officials said the guidance is intended to provide clarity to medical providers and families while reinforcing Illinois’ commitment to preventing a disease that remains both dangerous and preventable.
IDPH Reaffirms Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination for Newborns
