Springfield, Illinois – Illinois health officials are reaffirming long-standing guidance that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth to prevent serious and potentially deadly infections.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced it will maintain its recommendation for a universal hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth, citing decades of scientific evidence and guidance from the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee. The move follows recent changes by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that altered previous national guidance supporting universal birth vaccination.
According to IDPH, the state’s policy reflects extensive review of available data and prioritizes consistent protection for newborns. Health officials emphasized that limiting vaccination based only on a mother’s known infection status has proven less effective, as many people with hepatitis B are unaware they carry the virus.
IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said the vaccine remains a critical public health tool, noting that universal birth vaccination has contributed to a 99 percent reduction in hepatitis B infections among U.S. children since the practice began in 1991.
The reaffirmed guidance also includes recommendations that infants receive the full hepatitis B vaccine series on schedule and that all pregnant individuals be screened for hepatitis B during the first trimester or at their initial prenatal visit. Additional screening at delivery is recommended for individuals at higher risk.
IDPH also reaffirmed its existing recommendations for seasonal immunizations, including flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines, as well as adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s child, adolescent, and adult immunization schedules.
Health officials warn that infants infected with hepatitis B face high risks of chronic infection. About 90 percent of infants infected at birth or during the first year of life develop chronic hepatitis B, and roughly one in four of those individuals may die from long-term liver disease.
The guidance was issued under authority granted earlier this month through new state legislation and applies to medical providers statewide.
