Alaska state health officials continue to recommend the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns, despite a recent, controversial change in federal guidance.
State Epidemiology Chief Dr. Joe McLaughlin said the vaccine is especially important in Alaska, which has struggled with high rates of chronic hepatitis B.
“This universal birth dosing helps to ensure every baby receives protection, regardless of their location or access to care or any follow up challenges that they might have,” he said. “This approach has definitely helped reduce disparities in hepatitis B outcomes across Alaska for decades.”
Public health experts credit the vaccine with dramatically lowering the risk of developing chronic hepatitis B, serious liver diseases and liver cancer. For over three decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all babies across the country get the vaccine at birth.
Then, this month, the CDC narrowed its guidance, recommending the vaccine only for infants born to women who test positive for the virus or whose status is unknown. The guidance says women who test negative should consult with a health care provider before vaccinating their newborn.
But, McLaughlin emphasized that the CDC also acknowledged that each state has to consider its own hepatitis B rates and risk factors.
“So Alaska, where the rates are nearly three times the national average, clearly falls into a higher risk category as a state in general,” McLaughlin said. “And our data support continuing universal birth dose vaccination to protect infants in Alaska.”
Hepatitis B is a virus spread through bodily fluids and from mother to baby during childbirth.
Historically, Alaska has had high rates of hepatitis B, especially among Alaska Native people. In the 1970s, widespread infection led to elevated rates of liver cancer in Alaska Native children. In recent years, Asian and Pacific Islander Alaskans have had the highest rates of hepatitis B in the state.
McLaughlin said screening and vaccinations have helped reduce the prevalence of the infection, but it is still present.
Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Lawrence said about 100 Alaskans are newly diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B every year. He said the virus can spread in Alaska partly through close community ties.
“When there is cross between households and between families, if one person has hepatitis B, that could be transmitted throughout an entire community, even to members who are not of that same household,” Lawrence said.
He said kids can also get it from contact with household items. Hepatitis B is infectious for at least a week on surfaces, according to the CDC.
Health insurers have said they will continue to cover the hepatitis B vaccine.
