Trump's Trials - Experts say Trump's guidance on hepatitis B vaccine and babies is dangerous

Episode Date: September 25, 2025

In a press conference this week, President Trump said there's no reason to give babies the hepatitis B vaccine. But pediatricians and infectious disease experts say this guidance is dangerous.Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to Trump's Terms from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow. We're going to be doing all sorts of things. Nobody ever thought was even possible. President Trump has brought back string to the White House. We can't just ignore the president's desires. This will be an entirely different country in a short period of time. Every episode of Trump's terms, we bring you NPR's latest coverage of the 47th president.

With a focus on actions and policies he is pursuing on his own terms and in the process, taking the presidency into uncharted territory. Today's story starts right after this. I'm A. Martinez. It's unusual for presidents to give out medical advice, but in a White House press briefing earlier this week, President Trump questioned the wisdom of vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B. There's no reason to give a baby that's almost just born hepatitis B. So I would say, wait till the baby is 12 years old. Pediatricians say that's not only wrong,

but also dangerous. Here's NPR's Maria Godoy. Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver. The disease has no cure and can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis, and death. And the risks of these outcomes is much higher for people who get infected as infants. Here's Dr. Andrew Pavia, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with the University of Utah. About 25% of children who develop chronic hepatitis B will die of their infection. Before the U.S. began universally vaccinating newborns and 1991, some 18,000 children each year became infected before the age of 10. About half were infected by their mothers at birth. The other half got it from somewhere else. President Trump said

hepatitis B is sexually transmitted, so there's no reason to give the vaccine to a baby. But Pavia says the risks for kids are everywhere. There have been cases of infections in daycare. There have been cases of infection on sports teams. There have been documented infections from shared toothbrushes and from shared razors. The virus is found in blood, saliva, 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. Dr. Anita Patel is a pediatrician in Washington, D.C. She says many people don't know they have the virus, but they can still pass it on unwittingly. If you have a cut, that blood could potentially get on the infant. And if that

infant has any sort of break in their skin, as infants frequently do, they can then get hepatitis B. She says that's why it's so important to give the shot at birth. Since that became routine in the U.S., case rates have plummeted by 99% among people aged 19 and younger. Maria Godoy, NPR News. Before we wrap up a reminder, you can find more coverage of the Trump administration on the NPR Politics podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks, as always, to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR.

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