Hepatitis B vaccine schedule still starts at birth
Australia’s national advice on the hepatitis B vaccine has not changed after the United States moved to alter its childhood schedule. The US changes, reported by The Guardian, remove hepatitis B vaccination from the vaccines routinely recommended for all children.
Instead, the US is shifting hepatitis B vaccination towards decisions based on individual risk or shared clinical decision-making. In Australia, the childhood hepatitis B schedule still starts at birth.
Australia uses four doses for childhood hepatitis B vaccination. The birth dose has been part of the national programme for more than 25 years.
Hepatitis Australia moved to reassure parents after the US decision. According to the organisation, Australian advice remains grounded in decades of clinical evidence and is still backed by local infectious diseases and immunisation experts.
Chief executive Lucy Clynes urged parents to stay confident in the Australian programme. “Vaccination remains Australia’s best defence and the professional medical advice has not changed,” she said.
Hepatitis B can spread during birth, through blood-to-blood contact, or through some sexual fluids. Babies and young children are much more likely than adults to develop chronic hepatitis B after infection.
60% fall among young Australians
Routine childhood vaccination has cut hepatitis B cases among young Australians by 60%. As a result, Hepatitis Australia pointed to the programme as a clear public health gain.
Clynes also highlighted the risks of the disease itself. She said chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C are leading causes of liver disease and liver cancer.
Without proper medical care, up to one in four people living with chronic hepatitis B can die from its complications. Because of that risk, Hepatitis Australia continues to support vaccination at birth.
Australia is working to eliminate hepatitis B and hepatitis C as public health threats by 2030. Clynes argued that the 2030 goal makes it critical to follow sound medical advice and protect children early.
The organisation also points to strong uptake by Australian parents. Babies tolerate the birth dose very well, and the simple early shot helps prevent infection at the riskiest stage.
Professor Joseph Doyle, Hepatitis Australia president and an infectious diseases physician, backed the current schedule. He argued that Australia’s recommendations remain unchanged and are supported by extensive clinical evidence.
Parents in Australia can rely on advice built on decades of evidence showing the hepatitis B vaccine is safe and effective. It protects children against a virus that can cause lifelong liver disease and liver cancer.
Related: Young Australians
