The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel once again delayed an expected vote on hepatitis B vaccines, after a chaotic meeting rife with misinformation.

A vote on the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns has been pushed to Friday. Advisors say the wording kept changing, and they were confused about exactly what they were being asked to vote on.

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 Anita Patel, a pediatrician and pediatric critical care physician in Washington, D.C.

The nation’s top vaccine advisory panel is expected to debate whether to delay the first dose of the hepatitis B shot on Thursday. The immunization, developed in Philadelphia and long recommended for all U.

Hepatitis B is a potentially fatal liver disease. It spreads through contact with bodily fluids, and certain groups including health care workers and IV drug users are at higher risk. Anyone can be infected. Babies can be infected during childbirth or ...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s panel of federal vaccine advisors is set to discuss and potentially vote on changing the hepatitis B vaccine schedule for infants when they next meet on Dec. 4. According to a Federal Register ...