"We are deeply alarmed by the actions taken this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The apparent goal of this meeting was to sow doubt in vaccines rather than advance sound vaccine policy, and we will all pay a price for that.
“This is a significant departure from the historic role ACIP has played in shaping vaccine policy in the United States. Previously, we could expect science to drive decisions, experts to debate evidence, and consensus to lead to shared, clear recommendations. That is not the case with the current committee, and this change puts Americans’ health at risk.
“For example, ACIP’s decision to downgrade the longstanding recommendation to vaccinate all newborns against hepatitis B at birth will lead to more childhood hepatitis B infections, will lead to more chronic infections that will follow patients into adulthood, and will complicate vaccine access for children. No new data was presented during the ACIP meeting to justify this change.
“The evidence remains clear: the hepatitis B birth dose is safe and an essential component in helping children develop immunity against a serious, potentially lifelong disease. In fact, since the U.S. implemented the hepatitis B birth dose in 1991, annual hepatitis B infections among infants and children have dropped 99%, from 16,000 to less than 20. This progress is directly attributable to timely vaccination. 
“ACIP’s actions will harm children, their families and the medical professionals who care for them. That is why we are joining together to speak up. American families deserve information grounded in science and clear, consistent guidance – not speculation intended to scare them. We urge the CDC leaders to reject ACIP’s new recommendation and instead retain the current, evidence-based approach.”  
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American Academy of Pediatrics
Academic Pediatric Association
Alliance for Aging Research
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Nurse Midwives
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians
American Families for Vaccines
American Medical Association
American Medical Group Association (AMGA)
American Pediatric Society
American Public Health Association
American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS)
American Society for Meningitis Prevention
America's Physician Groups
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Caregiver Action Network
Families Fighting Flu
Families USA
Georgetown University Center for Children and Families
Global Liver Institute
HealthHIV
Hepatitis B Foundation
Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology
Infectious Diseases Society of America
International Vaccine Access Center
March of Dimes
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
National Hispanic Health Foundation
North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
Nurses Who Vaccinate
Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
Public Health Foundation
Sepsis Alliance
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Society for Pediatric Research
Trusted Messenger Program
Vaccinate Your Family
Vaccine Integrity Project
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.