States Buck CDC, Keep Recommending Hepatitis B Vaccine at Birth

Alaska and Rhode Island are among the states still saying nearly all newborns should receive a shot.

A nurse loads a syringe with a vaccine against hepatitis at a clinic for students in Lynwood, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2013. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Some states are pushing back against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s scaled-back recommendation for early hepatitis B vaccination.

Alaska and Rhode Island are among the states telling residents that a hepatitis B vaccine dose is advised for newborns, regardless of whether their mothers tested negative for the virus.