Australia’s leading hepatitis experts reaffirm support for birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination

Australia’s foremost hepatitis researchers and clinicians have released a joint expert statement confirming that Australia’s recommendation remains unchanged: all medically stable newborns who meet the weight threshold should receive their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth.

The statement follows international attention after a U.S. advisory panel recommended reversing its long-standing advice that infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.

Hepatitis Australia CEO Lucy Clynes said parents and healthcare professionals should remain confident in Australia’s long-standing, evidence-based approach.

“Australia’s advice has not changed. The hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination is safe, effective and one of the most important steps we can take to protect newborns from a virus that can cause lifelong liver damage and even fatal liver cancer.

“Our clinical experts are united. The evidence is clear. This vaccine saves lives, and Australia’s program continues to be one of the best in the world.”

Ms Clynes said the expert statement reinforces decades of data demonstrating the vaccine’s safety and impact.

“Babies tolerate the birth dose very well, and protection begins immediately. Thanks to routine vaccination, hepatitis B cases among young Australians have fallen by a staggering 60 per cent.

“This is prevention at its best, and it is critical that new parents receive clear, evidence-based advice from their healthcare professionals.”

Professor Jane Davies, Chair of Hepatitis Australia’s Research and Clinical Advisory Group, said Australia’s hepatitis organisations and physicians wanted to convey a critically important message to parents. 

“Australia’s leading hepatitis researchers and physicians have come together to deliver one clear message for parents.

“The hepatitis B birth-dose is safe, effective and essential for protecting newborns from infection that can have devastating life-long consequences.  

“Our statement reflects the strongest possible consensus across our hepatitis clinical and research community.”

ASHM CEO Alexis Apostolellis said the statement reflects the strong consensus across Australia’s infectious disease and clinical communities.

“Australia’s hepatitis B vaccination program is one of our outstanding public health achievements. The birth dose remains a cornerstone of protecting infants from chronic hepatitis B and the devastating consequences it can cause later in life.

“Our clinicians see the benefits of this vaccine every day. Parents should feel reassured that Australia’s guidance remains firmly grounded in evidence and expert consensus.”

The expert statement notes that hepatitis B can be passed from mother to child during birth, and without vaccination, around 90 per cent of exposed babies will develop chronic infection.

Australia’s four-dose schedule, beginning within 24 hours of birth, remains a core pillar of national public health guidance.

The statement is endorsed by leading clinicians, researchers and hepatitis organisations across Australia and reaffirms the strong consensus underpinning local vaccination policy.

Statement on behalf of leading Australian hepatitis researchers and clinicians

Birth-dose hepatitis B vaccinations: Safe, effective, and necessary

11 December 2025

·       Birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination is recommended and provided for free under Australia’s National Immunisation Program. Continued commitment to hepatitis B vaccination ensures Australia remains a global leader in preventing hepatitis B transmission and protecting future generations.

·       The hepatitis B birth-dose is safe and effective. Healthcare professionals should continue to provide new parents with clear, evidence-based advice on broad community vaccination against hepatitis B for babies born in Australia.

·       New parents should continue to have confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination. Infant immunisation against hepatitis B gives children lifelong protection against a serious and preventable disease.

About hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a serious viral infection that can cause acute illness and, in many cases, chronic disease. Chronic hepatitis B can cause liver damage and liver cancer. These are conditions that can be fatal and hepatitis B causes more liver cancer globally than any other condition.

For newborns exposed to hepatitis B, the risk of developing chronic infection is very high at around 90%. Any delay in vaccination creates unacceptable and avoidable risks.

The hepatitis B vaccine is safe, effective and necessary

Since 2000, the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine has been recommended and provided for free under Australia’s National Immunisation Program. The current schedule recommends four doses before six months of age, with the first dose ideally administered within 24 hours of birth, once the baby is medically stable.

This birth-dose is safe, well-tolerated, and provides long-lasting protection.

This program is making a significant difference:

• 93% of one-year-olds in Australia are now immunised against hepatitis B (as of June 2025).
• Childhood vaccination has contributed to a 60% decline in hepatitis B notifications among Australians under 20 between 2014 and 2023.
• In many countries, infant vaccination against hepatitis B is will drastically reduce liver cancer deaths in coming decades.

Australia is making strong progress toward eliminating hepatitis B transmission, particularly among children and young adults who have been vaccinated. To maintain this momentum, it is vital that all healthcare professionals continue to follow evidence-based clinical guidance in recommending hepatitis B vaccination for all newborns.

For further information or support, consumers and healthcare providers can contact HepLink on 1800 437 222 or at https://www.heplink.au/

HepLink is Australia’s national hepatitis information and referral service, funded by the Australian Government. You do not need a Medicare card to use HepLink.

For the latest hepatitis B immunisation schedule, including state and territory-specific guidance, please refer to the National Immunisation Program Schedule. Additional evidence-based resources are available via ASHM’s B Positive portal: https://hepatitisb.org.au/primary-prevention-of-hepatitis-b-virus-infection/

This statement is supported by leading Australian hepatitis researchers and clinicians

Professor Jane Davies Menzies School of Health Research Chair, Hepatitis Australia’s Research and Clinical Advisory Group	Professor Joe Doyle Burnet Institute President, Hepatitis Australia
Adam Gregson Hepatology Nurse Practitioner at Royal Perth Hospital and clinical lead for the Hep B Hub WA. Member, Hepatitis Australia’s Research and Clinical Advisory Group	Professor Benjamin Cowie Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, Doherty Institute, Melbourne Board Member, ASHM Health
Professor Gregory Dore Head, Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney	Dr Skye McGregor Group Lead, Surveillance Innovation Group, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney
Associate Professor Jessica Howell Head, Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne	Associate Professor Thomas Tu Head, Viral Hepatitis Pathogenesis Group, Westmead Institute for Medical Research President of Australian Centre for Hepatitis Virology Cofounder, Director, and Deputy Chair, Hep B Voices Australia Founder and Executive Director, HepBcommunity.org
Associate Professor David Carter Head, Health+Law Research Partnership, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney	Professor Peter Revill Head of Regional and Global Health, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Dr Michael Levy AM Public Health Physician Board Member Hepatitis Australia	Dr Jack Wallace Burnet Institute, Melbourne
Dr Kelly Hoskins Co-Deputy Director Viral Hepatitis Programs Menzies School of Health Research	Emeritus Professor Andrew Lloyd AM, FAHMS Chair, National Prisons Hepatitis Network, Viral Immunology Systems Programs, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney
Professor Alex Thompson St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne The University of Melbourne President, Gastroenterological Society of Australia	Professor Kate Seear Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Deakin Law School, Deakin University
Dr Jacqui Richmond Burnet Institute, Melbourne. Board Member, ASHM Health Board Member, Hepatitis QLD	Sally Castle CEO, Liver Foundation
Professor Jason Grebely Deputy Program Head, Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney   Dr Sushena Krishnaswamy Chair, Viral Hepatitis and HIV Special Interest Group, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases	Professor Tony Cunningham AO FAHMS Director, Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research (ACH4) Director, Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research​ Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney Vaccine theme leader, Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases (SydneyID)
Reena D’Souza Project Manager, Infectious Disease Implementation Research, The Kids Research Institute Australia Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney	Dr Emma Paige Deputy Chair, Viral Hepatitis and HIV Special Interest Group, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases

 

This statement is endorsed by members and community sector partners:

 

Contact details:

Media contact

Darren Rodrigo

Hepatitis Australia

Darren [email protected]
0414 783 405

Joseph McMahon

ASHM 

Senior Marketing and Communications Manager,

[email protected]

0422 232 277