GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - A Centers for Disease Control panel voted Friday to no longer recommend newborns receive the first dose of a Hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth.

Before 1991, some 20,000 infants contracted Hepatitis b from their mothers in utero or during birth. On Friday, after completing the full 3 to 4-dose vaccine series, 98% of healthy infants achieve full immunity to the virus.

The committee approved new guidance that would recommend babies do not get a Hepatitis B vaccine until they’re at least two months old. This change is specifically aimed at mothers who test negative for the viral infection.

The American Academy of Pediatrics website states Hepatitis B attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease. Chronic infection over the course of a lif

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