Trump advises parents on hepatitis B vaccine. Here’s why doctors say he’s wrong
It’s unusual for presidents to give out medical advice. But in a White House press briefing earlier this week, President Trump questioned the wisdom of vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B.
“There’s no reason to give a baby that’s almost just born hepatitis B [vaccine,” Trump said. “So I would say wait until the baby is 12 years old.”
But pediatricians say this message is wrong.
“It would be extremely dangerous and it’s a totally irresponsible suggestion,” says Dr. Andrew Pavia, a professor of pediatrics and medicine with the University of Utah and a pediatric and adult infectious disease specialist.
Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver. The disease has no cure and chronic infection can lead to serious outcomes such as liver cancer, cirrhosis and death. And the risks of these outcomes are much higher for people who get infected as infants.
“About 25% of children who develop chronic hepatitis B will die of their infection,” says Pavia, who is also a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Before the U.S. began universally vaccinating newborns in 1991, some 18,000 children a year would become infected before the age of 10. About half were infected through mother–to-child transmission, Pavia says. Giving newborns the shot right after birth prevents the virus from taking hold.
The other half of kids got infected from somewhere else. President Trump said hepatitis B is sexually transmitted — which is one means of transmission — so there’s no reason to give the vaccine to a baby. But Pavia says the risks for kids are everywhere.
“There have been cases of infections in daycare. There have been cases of infection on sports teams. There have been documented infections from shared toothbrushes and from shared razors,” he says.
The virus is found in blood, saliva, semen and other bodily fluids, even tears, and it can live on surfaces for up to seven days. A child with a wound who comes into contact with that surface – even days later — could become infected, says Dr. Anita Patel, a pediatrician and pediatric critical care physician in Washington, D.C.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of the people infected with Hepatitis B don’t know they have the virus, but Patel says they can still pass on the virus unwittingly.
“If you have a cut, that blood could potentially get on the infant,” Patel says. “And if that infant has any sort of break in their skin — as infants, frankly, frequently do — they can then get hepatitis B,” says Patel.
Dr. Su Wang says she suspects she got infected with hepatitis B as an infant, through her grandparents. She says they, likely got exposed through their jobs as medical workers in Taiwan. Taiwan used to have very high rates of hepatitis B infection among adults before the country began a successful national vaccination program in the 1980s.
“When I was born, they came over to help, like a lot of grandparents do, and they lived with us,” Wang says. “They became primary caregivers for the first month of life. And so very likely that’s how I got hep B.”
Wang is now an internist and researcher specializing in hepatitis at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey.
She says it’s very important to give the shot at birth. Since vaccination of newborns became routine in the U.S., case rates have plummeted by 99 percent among people age 19 and younger.
“When we started doing this as universal for all kids, you saw this blanket protection that protected an entire generation of kids,” Wang says.
Transcript:
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
You’re Listening to TRUMP’S TERMS from NPR. I’m Scott Detrow.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We’re going to be doing all sorts of things nobody ever thought was even possible.
MIKE JOHNSON: President Trump has brought back strength to the White House.
JD VANCE: We can’t just ignore the president’s desires.
TRUMP: This will be an entirely different country in a short period of time.
DETROW: Every episode of TRUMP’S TERMS, we bring you NPR’s latest coverage of the 47th president, with a focus on actions and policies he is pursuing on his own terms and, in the process, taking the presidency into uncharted territory. Today’s story starts right after this.
A MARTÍNEZ, BYLINE: I’m Martinez. It’s unusual for presidents to give out medical advice, but in a White House press briefing earlier this week, President Trump questioned the wisdom of vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: There’s no reason to give a baby that’s almost just born hepatitis B. So I would say wait till the baby is 12 years old.
MARTÍNEZ: Pediatricians say that’s not only wrong, but also dangerous. Here’s NPR’s Maria Godoy.
MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver. The disease has no cure and can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis and death. And the risks of these outcomes is much higher for people who get infected as infants. Here’s Dr. Andrew Pavia, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with the University of Utah.
ANDREW PAVIA: About 25% of children who develop chronic hepatitis B will die of their infection.
GODOY: Before the U.S. began universally vaccinating newborns in 1991, some 18,000 children each year became infected before the age of 10. About half were infected by their mothers at birth. The other half got it from somewhere else. President Trump said hepatitis B is sexually transmitted, so there’s no reason to give the vaccine to a baby. But Pavia says the risks for kids are everywhere.
PAVIA: There have been cases of infections in day care. There have been cases of infection on sports teams. There have been documented infections from shared toothbrushes and from shared razors.
GODOY: The virus is found in blood, saliva, even tears, and it can live on surfaces for up to seven days. A child with a wound who comes into contact with that surface, even days later, could become infected. Dr. Anita Patel is a pediatrician in Washington, D.C. She says many people don’t know they have the virus, but they can still pass it on unwittingly.
ANITA PATEL: If you have a cut, that blood could potentially get on the infant, and if that infant has any sort of break in their skin, as infants frequently do, they can then get hepatitis B.
GODOY: She says that’s why it’s so important to give the shot at birth. That became routine in the U.S., case rates have plummeted by 99% among people aged 19 and younger.
Maria Godoy, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF EMANUEL KALLINS AND STEPHEN TELLER’S “ESCAPE MAZE”)
DETROW: Before we wrap up, a reminder – you can find more coverage of the Trump administration on the NPR Politics Podcast, where you can hear NPR’s political reporters break down the day’s biggest political news, with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks, as always, to our NPR+ supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org.
I’m Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to TRUMP’S TERMS from NPR.
(SOUNDBITE OF EMANUEL KALLINS AND STEPHEN TELLER’S “ESCAPE MAZE”)
Opinion: Remembering Ai, a remarkably intelligent chimpanzee
We remember Ai, a highly intelligent chimpanzee who lived at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University for most of her life, except the time she escaped and walked around campus.
The near death — and last-minute reprieve — of a trial for an HIV vaccine
A trial was about to launch for a vaccine that would ward off the HIV virus. It would be an incredible breakthrough. Then it looked as if it would be over before it started.
Is RFK Jr.’s Administration for a Healthy America — AHA — in the works or not?
The Administration for a Healthy America is RFK Jr.'s plan to tackle chronic disease, addiction and other persistent problems. But so far it's not being set up like previous new agencies.
Bessemer data center developer to request rezoning for additional 900 acres
The city’s attorney informed council members of the request on Tuesday, warning that there may be media scrutiny.
Events in Minneapolis show how immigration enforcement has changed. What’s the impact?
Minneapolis is at the center of sweeping, evolving federal immigration push. It demonstrates how different immigration enforcement is under Trump's second administration - and raises questions about the lingering effects on local communities and law enforcement.
They quit their day jobs to bet on current events. A look inside the prediction market mania
Prediction market apps are thriving in Trump's second term, with traders betting on migrant deportations to election outcomes. A community of young, mostly male and very online traders are driving the industry's bonanza.
