CDC panel delays vote on hepatitis B vaccine because members are confused about what they are ruling on

The CDC's vaccine panel has delayed a vote that could upend hepatitis B vaccinations in the US.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior's hand-picked committee opted to delay the decision today after members stated confusion over what they were voting for and said the language of the statements had changed a number of times.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) had been scheduled to vote at 2:30pm ET Thursday on whether the hepatitis B vaccine should be administered to newborns.

Any recommendation from the committee is not binding, but its guidance tends to carry significant influence and is historically followed by doctors, hospitals and major medical organizations.

It marked at least the second time a vote on the hepatitis B vaccine had been delayed, after it was also pushed back in September because evidence fell short of what was needed to make a 'confident evidence-based recommendation'.

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