HEPATITIS B virus (HBV) vaccination rates among infants in the USA have fallen by more than 10 percentage points over the past two years, a 2026 analysis has found.
Rates of vaccination saw a steady increase for 6 years, with a peak of more than 80% in February 2023, before dropping to approximately 70% by August 2025.
HBV Vaccination
HBV is a viral infection that attacks the liver, most commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery. It can be prevented by safe and effective vaccination.
Infants infected with HBV in the first year of life have a 90% risk of developing chronic infection, associated with chronic liver disease and liver cancer.
According to WHO data, birth-dose HBV vaccination rates in the USA increased from approximately 21% in 2002 to 75% in 2019, mirroring trends shown in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Immunisation Survey data.
Vaccination Rates
Researchers analysed more than 12 million infants using an autoregressive integrated moving average model and data from the Epic Cosmos database. They calculated monthly vaccination rates as doses administered within 30 days of birth divided by live births in the same month.
Vaccination rates prior to February 2023’s peak, in January 2017, were at approximately 67%: closer to the rate seen in August last year.
Public Discourse
July 2023 was selected by researchers as a point of reference, corresponding with heightened public discourse surrounding childhood vaccination.
In December 2025, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisers changed the recommendation of a routine HBV vaccination for all newborns, as supported by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. However, it is still recommended for infants with HBV-positive mothers or whose status is unknown.
Researchers noted that similar policy shifts have the potential to further influence vaccination trends.
References
Rothman JM et al. US newborn hepatitis B virus vaccination rates. JAMA. 2026;DOI:10.1001/jama.2026.0866.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccines & Immunizations. 2026. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-schedules/child-easyread.html. Last accessed: 1 March 2026.
Featured image: Africa Studio on Adobe Stock
