While hepatitis B is commonly spread through sexual transmission or needle-sharing among IV drug users—risks that newborns aren’t exposed to—infants can still contract hep B from their mothers. For moms who test positive for hep B, the risk of passing the virus to their babies during childbirth is high—up to 90% without intervention. But giving the hepatitis B vaccine with hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) within 12 hours of birth reduces this risk to less than 1%! 💉 Even moms who test negative can rarely pass hepatitis B to their babies due to factors like false negatives or contracting the virus later in pregnancy. YES, this is unlikely if the mother herself is not a drug user or is in a monogamous relationship, but we have seen cases of infidelity and positives. That’s why the hep B vaccine is recommended for ALL newborns at birth. The benefits of this vaccine are backed by strong data: according to the World Health Organization (WHO), countries with high hepatitis B vaccination rates have seen a 90% reduction in hepatitis B cases among children under five since the vaccine’s introduction. This early vaccination has been shown to be both safe and highly effective. I have families in my practice who opt to not get the vaccine in the hospital, yet get it with routine vaccines at 2 months. For example, in the U.S.; Pediarix or Vaxelis are injections that combine various protection (Hep B included). As long as a family understands benefit and risk; this is informed decision making. But, this is not a vaccine you want to refuse life-long as Hepatitis B is incurable. 🛑 Let’s stop the spread of misinformation around vaccines. To combat this, I revamped my FREE vaccine guide, which covers all vaccines recommended from birth through adolescence, and details each vaccine’s benefits and potential side effects, and includes my personal insights, along with links for