RFK Jr.’s Revised Vaccine Schedule May Cause 83% Surge in Hepatitis B Infections

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joins U.S. President Donald Trump as he signs an executive order calling for childhood vaccine shots to be spaced out into separate visits during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on August 10, 2026, in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images A new modeling study projects that delaying or omitting the hepatitis B birth dose could increase chronic infections among children by 83% to 225%, depending on vaccine uptake rates. The CDC ended its universal recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination at birth in late 2025, shifting to individual-based decision making for infants whose mothers test negative for the virus. Up to 90% of infants infected with hepatitis B during their first year develop chronic infection, which can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. The American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends universal vaccination within 24 hours of birth. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposed changes to the childhood vaccine schedule have raised alarm among public health experts and researchers. Concerns include a rise in preventable infectious diseases such as mea…

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