Birth Dose Backslide: Hepatitis B Vaccination Slumps in U.S. Hospitals

A JAMA study of 12.4 million US newborns found the hepatitis B birth-dose rate dropped from 83.5% to 73.2% from 2023 to mid-2025, implying hundreds of thousands fewer babies vaccinated and potential rises in infant infections. The decline aligns with rising vaccine skepticism linked to the Covid era, and follows the CDC’s shift to shared decision-making for several vaccines, producing uneven state responses. Experts warn the US health system lacks the infrastructure to match more universal, registry-backed vaccination models seen in other countries.