Trump advises parents on hepatitis B vaccine. Here's why doctors say he's wrong

Hepatitis B is simply a microorganism that attacks nan liver and nan illness has nary cure. Since nan U.S. started universally vaccinating newborns lawsuit rates person plummeted by 99%. SERGII IAREMENKO/Science Photo Library RF/Getty Images hide caption

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SERGII IAREMENKO/Science Photo Library RF/Getty Images

It's different for presidents to springiness retired aesculapian advice. But successful a White House property briefing earlier this week, President Trump questioned nan contented of vaccinating each newborns against hepatitis B.

"There's nary logic to springiness a babe that's almost conscionable calved hepatitis B [vaccine," Trump said. "So I would opportunity hold until nan babe is 12 years old."

But pediatricians opportunity this connection is wrong.

"It would beryllium highly vulnerable and it's a wholly irresponsible suggestion," says Dr. Andrew Pavia, a professor of pediatrics and medicine pinch nan University of Utah and a pediatric and big infectious illness specialist.

Hepatitis B is a microorganism that attacks nan liver. The illness has nary cure and chronic infection tin lead to superior outcomes specified arsenic liver cancer, cirrhosis and death. And nan risks of these outcomes are overmuch higher for group who get infected arsenic infants.

"About 25% of children who create chronic hepatitis B will dice of their infection," says Pavia, who is besides a spokesperson for nan Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Before nan U.S. began universally vaccinating newborns successful 1991, immoderate 18,000 children a twelvemonth would go infected earlier nan property of 10. About half were infected done mother–to-child transmission, Pavia says. Giving newborns nan changeable correct aft commencement prevents nan microorganism from taking hold.

The different half of kids sewage infected from location else. President Trump said hepatitis B is sexually transmitted — which is 1 intends of transmission — truthful there's nary logic to springiness nan vaccine to a baby. But Pavia says nan risks for kids are everywhere.

"There person been cases of infections successful daycare. There person been cases of infection connected sports teams. There person been documented infections from shared toothbrushes and from shared razors," he says.

The microorganism is recovered successful blood, saliva, semen and different bodily fluids, moreover tears, and it tin unrecorded connected surfaces for up to 7 days. A kid pinch a coiled who comes into interaction pinch that aboveground – moreover days later — could go infected, says Dr. Anita Patel, a pediatrician and pediatric captious attraction expert successful Washington, D.C.

According to nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, astir half of nan group infected pinch Hepatitis B don't cognize they person nan virus, but Patel says they tin still walk connected nan microorganism unwittingly.

"If you person a cut, that humor could perchance get connected nan infant," Patel says. "And if that babe has immoderate benignant of break successful their tegument — arsenic infants, frankly, often do — they tin past get hepatitis B," says Patel.

Dr. Su Wang says she suspects she sewage infected pinch hepatitis B arsenic an infant, done her grandparents. She says they apt sewage exposed done their jobs arsenic aesculapian workers successful Taiwan. Taiwan utilized to person very precocious rates of hepatitis B infection among adults earlier nan state began a successful nationalist vaccination programme successful nan 1980s.

"When I was born, they came complete to help, for illustration a batch of grandparents do, and they lived pinch us," Wang says. "They became superior caregivers for nan first period of life. And truthful very apt that's really I sewage hep B."

Wang is now an internist and interrogator specializing successful hepatitis astatine Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center successful New Jersey.

She says it's very important to springiness nan changeable astatine birth. Since vaccination of newborns became regular successful nan U.S., lawsuit rates person plummeted by 99 percent among group property 19 and younger.

"When we started doing this arsenic cosmopolitan for each kids, you saw this broad protection that protected an full procreation of kids," Wang says.