Podcast Summary: Meidas Health – AAP President Strongly Pushes Back on Hepatitis B Vaccine Changes

Podcast: The MeidasTouch Podcast
Episode: Meidas Health: AAP President Strongly Pushes Back on Hepatitis B Vaccine Changes
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: MeidasTouch Network (Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas)
Guest: Dr. Susan Kressley, President, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

Overview of the Episode

This emergency episode of the Meidas Health segment features Dr. Susan Kressley, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in conversation with the Meiselas brothers. The central focus is Dr. Kressley’s strong rebuttal against recent recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to alter the long-standing universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. The discussion clarifies misconceptions, highlights the science and policy behind the broad use of the hepatitis B vaccine, and addresses broader challenges to public health and vaccine confidence.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Background on Hepatitis B and Vaccination Policy

• Historical Context (03:20–04:09)
  • Hepatitis B is a severe, often silent infection; early infection in infants/children can lead to chronic liver disease or liver cancer.
  • Universal newborn vaccination was established after risk-based strategies failed to adequately protect infants.
  • Birth dose is critical: “When I started in practice, Hepatitis B was only recommended for what we considered high risk individuals. … We now know … we can't use a risk strategy in order to protect our young children.” (Dr. Kressley, 04:09)

2. Common Misconceptions About Transmission (05:06–07:04)

• Beyond Sexual/IV Drug Transmission
  • Hepatitis B can be transmitted through casual contact or on surfaces; more contagious than HIV.
  • Many carriers are unaware: “At least half of the people in this country who have hepatitis B don't know they have it.” (Dr. Kressley, 06:04)
  • Real-life example: A grandparent unknowingly transmitted hepatitis B to an infant.

3. Limitations of Maternal Testing and Risk-Based Approaches (07:04–09:49)

• Flaws in “Just Test the Mom” Approach
  • Testing isn’t perfect—missed tests, lost results, or infection occurring after testing.
  • Risk-based approaches have already failed in the U.S. with tens of thousands of transmissions before universal vaccination was adopted.
  • “No just-in-time testing as you are laboring and delivering … So because there are all these cracks and it's an imperfect testing system, we know … some moms … will be carrying the virus.” (Dr. Kressley, 08:28–08:47)
• Universal Precautions Analogy
  • Compared to universal glove use in hospitals: “When you do the right thing for everyone, you protect those most vulnerable.” (09:49)

4. Importance of Timely Vaccination (11:09–12:02)

• Dangers of Delaying the Birth Dose
  • Infants are most vulnerable immediately after birth; postponing the birth dose exposes them to preventable risks.
  • Families can't realistically screen every contact: “Are you going to test everyone who comes into your house for hepatitis B and demand that they show that they're negative before they touch your child?” (Dr. Kressley, 11:31)
• Science-Backed Protection
  • Current policies are effective; proposals to delay or remove them lack supporting evidence.

5. Concerns About the ACIP Recommendation Process & Vaccine Confidence (12:11–14:23)

• No Scientific Justification
  • Dr. Kressley asserts there’s no safety issue, new data, or research supporting the change: “There is no data and no science and no reason behind any of the Hepatitis B recommendations they made today.” (Dr. Kressley, 12:57)
• Erosion of Public Trust
  • Changes without evidence erode vaccine confidence and public health.
  • Dr. Kressley argues this is part of a larger trend to undermine trust in vaccines.

6. Call to Action for Clinicians, Societies, and Public (16:00–18:01)

• Expertise & Public Health Policy
  • Concern about “non experts and not expert processes now making public health recommendations” (Dr. Kressley, 16:20)
  • Urges listeners to follow AAP and expert guidance, push back against policymakers undermining science, and use trusted resources like HealthyChildren.org.
  • “The recommendations from the ACIP should not be trusted by anyone.” (Dr. Kressley, 16:29)
• Responsibility & Accountability
  • Emphasizes need for expert-led public health policy; holds policymakers accountable for consequences of eroding vaccine confidence.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Transmission Risks:

  • “Remember, if you're having a baby, somebody had sex. … But let's talk about the contagiousness of hepatitis B. It can live on surfaces. It can be spread through touching from someone who's shedding the virus … it's more contagious than HIV.” (Dr. Kressley, 05:36–06:04)

• On Universal Vaccination:

  • “When you can't 100% rely on a risk-based strategy and a testing strategy, that's when we said — the right strategy is: protect everyone, assume everyone.” (Dr. Kressley, 09:57)

• On Erosion of Confidence:

  • “The only thing I can understand why they might even be doing this is because it’s a part of a larger picture to reduce confidence in vaccines in general. … Every time you sow doubt, purposely erode confidence, you are putting children at risk.” (Dr. Kressley, 12:20–12:50)

• On Lack of Evidence:

  • “I want every parent in America to feel as confident in giving consent to vaccinating their child as I am in recommending it. I would never recommend for your child what I don’t do for my own and my grandchildren. And I did not hesitate for one second to vaccinate them at birth.” (Dr. Kressley, 14:34)

• On Policy Integrity:

  • “When you exclude the true experts and the transparent process from all of public health recommendations, you can no longer trust the recommendations.” (Dr. Kressley, 16:22)

Important Timestamps

• 02:29 – Show intro; Dr. Kressley welcomed.
• 03:20–05:06 – Explanation of hepatitis B and vaccine history.
• 05:36–07:04 – How hepatitis B spreads beyond common misconceptions.
• 07:04–09:49 – Flaws in “test the mother only” approaches and failures of risk-based strategies.
• 11:09–12:02 – Concerns about delaying vaccine and real-world contact risks.
• 12:11–14:23 – Lack of evidence behind new recommendations and the threat to public trust.
• 16:00–18:01 – What pediatricians, societies, and the public should do, and the need for expert leadership.

Conclusion

This episode vigorously defends the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, highlighting the lack of scientific justification for recent proposed changes and the dangers posed by undermining established, evidence-based vaccination policy. Dr. Kressley, speaking as AAP president, urges listeners to maintain trust in pediatric expertise, resist anti-scientific policymaking, and advocate for evidence-based public health protections for all children.