Since the hepatitis B vaccine was recommended for all babies at birth in 1991, new cases in the United States have declined significantly, especially among young people. The people at highest risk for contracting hepatitis B include health care workers, IV drug users and people having sex.

The CDC currently says a timely administration of a hepatitis B vaccine is essential to help prevent transmission of the virus from mother to child at birth. While efforts to test for this virus during pregnancy have improved detection, cases can still be missed, or documentation may be inaccurate or incomplete.

Medical experts say vaccination is the best prevention method for hepatitis B, a liver infection that can be acute or chronic. The disease has no cure and can cause a variety of complications.

Current ACIP guidance recommends all infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine in three doses. The first dose is given within 24 hours of birth, the second is given one to two months after and the third dose is given between 6 and 18 months of age.

A key vaccine advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to change its recommendations around certain childhood immunizations Thursday, despite the CDC’s own data showing that the vaccines are safe and effective.

Young children who contract hepatitis B are at far greater risk of becoming chronically ill. Babies receive three doses of the vaccine; the initial shot is given on the first day of life.