Business
RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel to vote on changing hepatitis B shot recommendation for babies
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. looks on as he attends a press conference to discuss health insurance reform, at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 23, 2025.
Kevin Mohatt | Reuters
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hand-picked vaccine committee is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to change a longstanding recommendation that every baby get vaccinated against hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth.
It’s unclear if the panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, will significantly delay or eliminate that so-called birth dose of the shot entirely. The group tabled a vote on the vaccine in September because some members called for a more robust discussion first.
But either change could have wide-ranging consequences: Some public health experts say that having fewer newborns vaccinated against the virus could risk an increase in chronic infections among children.
Hepatitis B, which can be passed from mother to baby during childbirth, can lead to liver disease and early death. There is no cure.
“We have a vaccine that is highly effective at preventing an incurable disease. We should take full advantage of that,” Neil Maniar, a public health professor at Northeastern University, told CNBC.
The birth dose recommendation was introduced in 1991 and is credited with driving down infections in kids by 99% since then. Maniar called that a “remarkable success story that we run the risk of reversing” if the committee changes the recommendation.
Decisions by the panel are not legally binding, as it is up to states to mandate immunizations. But ACIP’s recommendations have significant implications for whether private insurance plans and government assistance programs cover the vaccines at no cost for eligible children.
The panel’s upcoming two-day meeting in Atlanta comes after Kennedy earlier this year gutted the committee and appointed 12 new members, including some well-known vaccine critics. During the meeting in September, some advisors raised questions about whether the benefits of the shot outweigh potential safety risks.
But the jab is “an incredibly safe vaccine with minimal risks,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases, said during a media briefing Tuesday.
“I never once saw a fever actually associated with hepatitis B vaccine,” said O’Leary, who practiced for eight years as a general pediatrician and worked in a newborn nursery.
The AAP, which publishes its own vaccine schedule, still recommends the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine because “it saves lives,” he added.
A new review, published Tuesday, of more than 400 studies spanning four decades also found no evidence that delaying the universal hepatitis B vaccine birth dose improves safety or effectiveness. The review also found that the birth dose does not cause any short- or long-term serious adverse events or deaths.
A 2024 CDC study showed that the current vaccination schedule has helped prevent more than 6 million hepatitis B infections and nearly 1 million hepatitis B-related hospitalizations.
Merck and GSK manufacture the hepatitis B vaccines used starting at birth. Neither of the shots are significant revenue drivers for the companies.
Still, Merck during the panel’s September meeting pushed back on changing the recommendation.
“The reconsideration of the newborn Hepatitis B vaccination on the established schedule poses a grave risk to the health of children and to the public, which could lead to a resurgence of preventable infectious diseases,” Dr. Richard Haupt, Merck’s head of global medical and scientific affairs for vaccines and infectious diseases, said at the time.
Across the UK, shopfronts are being exploited by criminal gangs pushing illegal drugs, experts say.
Source link
At around 8.25 am, the benchmark US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 4.06% to US$96.73 per barrel.
International oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude rose 3.62% to US$105.63. Both eased back in the following minutes.
Oil prices have soared since Israel and the US attacked Iran on Feb 28, and they have kept inching up due to the uncertainty over whether war will resume.
As the clock ticked for a return to the war that has engulfed the region, US President Donald Trump had said Tuesday he would maintain the truce to allow more time for Pakistani-brokered peace talks.
Iran said it welcomed the efforts by Pakistan but made no other comment on Trump’s announcement.
Wall Street stocks gained ground following President Trump’s unilateral ceasefire extension in the Iran war.
All three major US stock indexes advanced, with tech shares helping to put the Nasdaq out front, while gold advanced and the dollar edged higher.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq reached record closing highs.
“Despite the energy shock and headlines that have inundated investors, the macroeconomy, corporate fundamentals, and consumer spending remain strong,” said Bill Merz, head of capital markets research at US Bank Wealth Management in Minneapolis.
“Investors are taking the stance that the Strait of Hormuz will open before too much damage is inflicted on the global economy.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized two vessels for maritime violations just hours after Trump agreed to extend the ceasefire until negotiations are concluded.
About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies normally pass through the strait.
US stocks, initially battered by the war, have since made a full recovery, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq having reached all-time closing highs in recent sessions.
But geopolitical uncertainty lingers, and a prolonged period of elevated oil prices remains a threat.
About two-thirds of the S&P 500 companies that have reported quarterly earnings since the beginning of April have voiced concerns about energy prices in their analyst conference calls, according to a Reuters review of transcripts.
“Anytime there’s a global event like the conflict in the Middle East, and it grabs so many headlines and captures attention, it will crop up in earnings commentary,” Merz added. “But we’re not seeing it significantly impact behaviour yet.”
First-quarter earnings season is well underway amid lofty expectations. Analysts currently estimate year-on-year S&P 500 earnings growth of 14.4% for the January-March period, according to the most recent LSEG data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 341.27 points, or 0.69%, to 49,490.52, the S&P 500 +gained 73.90 points, or 1.05%, to 7,137.91, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 397.60 points, or 1.64%, to 24,657.57.
European shares ended lower for the third straight session as the Middle East strife continued to weigh on markets and investors assessed a raft of corporate earnings.
Dozens of international firms have withdrawn guidance or signalled price hikes since the war began.
MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe rose 4.52 points, or 0.42%, to 1,070.98.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.35%, while Europe’s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index fell 8.58 points, or 0.35%.
Emerging market stocks fell 9.41 points, or 0.58%, to 1,606.07. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed lower by 0.6%, to 822.27, while Japan’s Nikkei .N225 rose 236.69 points, or 0.40%, to 59,585.86.
The dollar rose amid lingering geopolitical worries.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.26% to 98.63, with the euro down 0.32% at $1.1704.
Against the Japanese yen, the dollar strengthened 0.12% to 159.56.
In cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin gained 4.13% to $78,866.74. Ethereum rose 3.48% to $2,398.37.
US Treasury yields increased, rangebound amid choppy trading.
The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes rose 1.2 basis points to 4.304%, from 4.292% late on Tuesday.
The 30-year bond yield rose 1.1 basis points to 4.9091% from 4.898% late on Tuesday.
The 2-year note yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations for the Federal Reserve, rose 2.1 basis points to 3.8%, from 3.779% late on Tuesday.
Jenny Lennick’s colourful hair clips are sold across the US and around the world.
Source link
Canada forms new advisory committee to strengthen US trade relations
High street drug dealer sells cannabis to undercover reporter
Clearing Hormuz Strait mines could take six months: report
-
Fashion1 week agoFrance’s LVMH Q1 revenue falls 6%, shows resilience amid Iran war
-
Entertainment1 week agoIs Claude down? Here’s why users are seeing errors
-
Tech1 week agoThe Deepfake Nudes Crisis in Schools Is Much Worse Than You Thought
-
Sports1 week agoPSL 11: Peshawar Zalmi win toss, opt to field first against Quetta Gladiators
-
Tech1 week agoHuman-machine teaming dives underwater
-
Business1 week agoStandard Life buys rival in £2b deal to create savings giant
-
Business1 week agoBP sees ‘exceptional’ oil trading result as Iran war sends crude costs soaring
-
Fashion1 week agoWhat no one is saying about the 2026 apparel slowdown