CAPAC Decries Projected Surge in Hepatitis B Infections Under RFK’s Vaccine Schedule
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), issued the following statement in response to a new study projecting an 83% increase in childhood hepatitis B infections under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s revised vaccination schedule:
“This new study adds to the mounting evidence that rolling back universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth is a dangerous step backward that will put more children at risk of a lifelong, preventable disease.
“These risks are especially acute for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities who are disproportionately impacted by hepatitis B. While Asian Americans make up eight percent of the U.S. population, our community accounts for almost 60 percent of chronic hepatitis B cases. In 2023, Asian Americans were nearly five times more likely to die from hepatitis B than the overall U.S. population.
“CAPAC remains firmly opposed to Secretary Kennedy’s reckless decision to revise the childhood vaccination schedule and urges the Administration to reverse course immediately. Our children's health should never fall victim to Kennedy’s dangerous, anti-vaccine agenda.”
BACKGROUND:
Hepatitis B is a preventable disease that can cause lifelong infection and lead to severe health complications, including cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, and death. Chronic hepatitis B is often referred to as a “silent killer” because many people experience no symptoms until serious health problems develop.
Public health experts have long warned that weakening the universal hepatitis B birth dose would increase the risk of infection and serious health consequences for children. A new study projects that delaying the first hepatitis B vaccine dose until 2 months of age could increase chronic hepatitis B infections acquired by age 20 by 19%, while replacing universal vaccination at birth with a shared decision-making policy could increase infections by 83%.
Hepatitis B disproportionately impacts Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. In 2022, the CDC reported that the rate of new chronic hepatitis B cases was highest among AANHPI individuals, at more than 11 times the rate among non-Hispanic white individuals. The hepatitis B death rate is also highest among AANHPI populations, nearly nine times the rate among non-Hispanic white individuals. In 2023, Asian Americans were nearly five times more likely to die from hepatitis B than the overall U.S. population.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) began recommending a hepatitis B vaccine birth dose in 1991. Since then, annual hepatitis B cases in the United States have declined by 99%. In June 2025, Secretary Kennedy fired the entire 17-member panel and replaced them with hand-picked anti-vaccine skeptics. This month, Secretary Kennedy’s hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau was cancelled following international backlash and being declared “unethical” by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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