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January 03, 2003

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Reasons Hospitals Give for Not Offering Hepatitis B Vaccine to Low-Risk Newborns" Clinical Pediatrics (www.ovid.com/products/journals) (12/02) Vol. 41, No. 9, P. 681; Aiken, Kimberly D.; Clark, Sarah J.; Cabana, Michael D.

Before the perceived health threat of the thimerosal preservative, which some people believe leads to reactions to mercury in the thimerosal, low-risk newborns were routinely given hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) in 85 percent of nurseries.  The percentage has fallen since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amended vaccination recommendations in July 1999, though the creation of a thimerosal-free vaccine caused the agency to repeal the suggestion.  A recent study looked at the reasons why some hospitals stopped offering HBV vaccine to newborn infants and why some never offered the product.  Thirty-one percent of the 207-nursery sample pool reported not giving the HBV vaccinations.  Discontinuation due to reimbursement problems was apparent in 37 cases, while never having offered the vaccine was reported in 28 cases.  The most common reason for the decision was reimbursement issues, with the ease of outpatient HBV administration and the difficulty of transferring immunization records to primary doctors also being reported in high numbers.  The nurseries that never offered the inoculations were more likely to report confidence that parent would bring their children back for vaccination after two months. The discontinuation group had a greater likelihood of saying that doctors preferred giving combined vaccinations.

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ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.