Heated exchange as subcommittee tables bill to remove newborn hepatitis B requirement
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Summary
Delegate Garrett proposed removing the hepatitis B vaccine from Virginia's newborn required immunizations; medical witnesses from the American Academy of Pediatrics urged rejection and the subcommittee laid the bill on the table 8–1 after extended debate.
Delegate Garrett urged the subcommittee to remove the hepatitis B vaccine from the list of required newborn immunizations, arguing that giving newborns an early dose contributes to a larger immediate vaccine burden and reiterating that he is not "anti‑vaccine." Garrett said the typical infection routes he associated with hepatitis B (unprotected sexual contact, IV drug use) do not apply to newborns and argued the law requires prenatal screening for hepatitis B.
Medical witnesses strongly opposed the change. Dr. Ashley Zelenek, a Richmond pediatrician representing the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), told the committee that the AAP continues to recommend a universal birth dose within 24 hours because it prevents chronic infection and substantially reduced pediatric hepatitis B cases after the birth‑dose recommendation. She said up to 90 percent of infants infected at birth develop chronic infection and a significant share of those face premature death; she urged the subcommittee to vote no. Other medical witnesses echoed this evidence and emphasized that screening does not catch every perinatal exposure.
Several members criticized language in the patron’s remarks they described as blaming migrants for hepatitis B spread; a member called that rhetoric "xenophobic." Garrett responded to questions but the debate concluded with a motion to lay the bill on the table. The subcommittee voted 8–1 to lay HB983 on the table.
