They are not following science

Doctor reacts to ACIP: “They are not following science”

From CNN's Meg Tirrell

The presentations Thursday on hepatitis B vaccination “are not following science,” Dr. Jason Goldman, a liaison to the ACIP for the American College of Physicians, told CNN.

Studies casting doubt on the need for hepatitis B vaccination and its safety were quoted out of context, and the proposed language for voting on vaccine recommendations “is inappropriate,” Goldman added.

The first vote scheduled for Thursday is whether to remove the universal recommendation that newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine that’s been in place in the US since 1991. Instead, for babies whose mothers haven’t tested positive for the virus, the recommendation would move to “individual-based decision-making.” If parents forgo a birth dose, the vote would recommend babies receive the vaccine no earlier than two months of age.

But, Goldman pointed out, “all decisions are individual-based. Nothing is a mandate.”

He compared the nature of the recommendation that all babies receive a dose at birth with one he might make as a physician for other health decisions, such as whether patients should get a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer.

“I recommend a colonoscopy to a patient. They still have a choice to do it. The evidence shows colonoscopy reduces incidence of cancer,” Goldman told CNN. “Same analogy. I recommend the hepatitis B vaccine. [The] patient can refuse. The evidence shows benefit of [the] vaccine in reducing disease.”

Speaking during the meeting, Goldman said the meeting should be ended now, before a vote.

“You are wasting taxpayer dollars by not having scientific rigorous discussion on issues that truly matter,” he said. “The best thing you can do is adjourn the meeting and discuss vaccine issues that actually need to be taken up.”