kidz1stpediatrics

Hepatitis B

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:00:20 GMT

Recent ACIP discussions have suggested changes to the birth Hepatitis B vaccine, but AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) continues to strongly recommend the birth dose . Before this practice began, 30,000 babies contracted Hepatitis B every year , 90% became chronically infected , and 1 in 4 died from liver cancer or cirrhosis .

For your child’s safety, we continue to follow AAP guidelines.

Extended Information on Hepatitis B Birth Dose

For over 34 years , the recommendation to vaccinate all newborns against Hepatitis B at birth has been one of the most successful public-health strategies in pediatrics. Since its adoption, the rate of Hepatitis B infections in children and young adults has decreased by 99% .

Recent changes in ACIP recommendations introduce the idea of selectively giving the birth dose only to infants whose parents are screened or considered at risk. However, this approach has been tried before—and it failed.

As Dr. Ravi Jhaveri explains, this new recommendation “assumes that we can accurately predict who has infection and who will be exposed in the future; we cannot.” Prior targeted strategies—vaccinating only infants of known infected mothers—did not reduce infection rates. “ This is the lesson we learned prior to starting the birth dose ,” he noted.

Before universal newborn vaccination was implemented, approximately 30,000 children were infected with Hepatitis B every year in the United States. The consequences were severe:

90% of infants infected at birth developed chronic Hepatitis B
25% of those with chronic infection later died from liver cancer or cirrhosis

The Hepatitis B birth dose remains a safe, effective, and essential protection for newborns. It is the only safeguard a baby has in case a parent’s infection is unknown, missed, or develops later.
Importantly, private insurance plans will continue to cover the birth dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine.
Kidz1st Pediatrics will continue to follow the AAP’s long-standing recommendation to vaccinate all newborns at birth to ensure the highest level of protection for every child.

Flu Mist 2025-2026 Season

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:56:59 GMT

The influenza vaccine is still considered a "trivalent" vaccine. What does that mean? The vaccine will be formulated to protect against the top 3 flu viruses.

Studies continue to have shown that the intranasal influenza, also known as flu mist, has equal protection to the influenza vaccine. In fact, some studies show that Flu Mist offers slightly more protection in children than adults.

What is flu mist?

Flu mist is a live vaccine that is sprayed into the nose. It will then stimulate the bodies immune system to develop antibodies to help protect against infection.

Does it hurt?

No, the nasal spray doesn't hurt. In fact, most kids prefer the nasal spray to the injection!

How do I know if my child is eligible?

All children over the age of 2 years with no comorbidities are eligible for the flu mist.

If your child falls into one of the following criteria below, they will not be eligible and will require the injection.

Any child under 2 years of age
Anyone who is diagnosed with asthma
Anyone who is immunocompromised (with documentation at our office)

More information will be available in our office newsletters so be sure that you are signed up to receive them!

RSV Injection

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:54:35 GMT

We encourage our infants and babies under 8 months old to receive their RSV injection.

More information on RSV www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/

Beyfortus is designed to provide antibody protection against RSV for infants under 8 months old and high-risk infants during their first and second winter seasons. Clinical trials have demonstrated its safety, with side effects similar to those observed with regular infant vaccines.

It's crucial to understand the distinction between this injection and traditional vaccines. While vaccines typically contain a weakened or inactivated form of the virus or bacteria to stimulate the body's own antibody production, Beyfortus delivers antibodies directly to the body. This approach has been shown to reduce medical complications from RSV by 75%. The protection it offers lasts for 8 months, giving your children the time to grow stronger and develop their own antibodies when exposed to RSV in the future.

RSV has been the leading cause of hospital admissions for children under the age of 1, affecting even healthy, full-term infants. We believe that Beyfortus can significantly reduce the risk of RSV-related complications in infants.

We will have both the 50mg and the 100mg doses available to our families who are interested in this injection. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov .

Things you can do to help mitigate the virus

1. Wash your hands. Anyone coming in contact with your infant should thorouhgly wash their hands before holding them.
2. If your baby is considered high risk, have people around them wear a mask for their protection and your infants.
3. Air purifiers; with winter upon us and the windows closed, studies have shown that air purifiers can help reduce airborn contamints including viruses.
4. Limiting exposure; if you or a family member are sick, stay home.
5. Make sure your baby is up to date on other important immunizations.

kidz1stpediatrics

Hepatitis B

Flu Mist 2025-2026 Season

RSV Injection

Things you can do to help mitigate the virus

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