Content overview: “Ending Hepatitis B Vaccination at Birth Could Raise Chronic Infections by 83%, Study Warns”. A new study warns that ending routine hepatitis B vaccination at birth, as proposed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., could lead to a surge in chronic infections. Researchers estimate that the number of chronic hepatitis B cases would increase by as much as 83 percent if the current vaccine schedule is altered.
The findings, published in a leading medical journal, highlight the critical role of early immunization in preventing lifelong liver disease and liver cancer. Hepatitis B is a leading cause of liver cancer worldwide, and chronic infections often develop silently over decades. The study's authors emphasize that the birth dose is especially important because it protects infants born to mothers who may not know they are infected. For the complete material, the listing points back to the source inside the network.