Elisa Hampton, MD
Elisa Hampton, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, spoke with The New York Times about the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.
Although most adults who get hepatitis B will recover, young children are much more likely to develop chronic illness from the infection. Infants receive the vaccine in a series of three doses, with the first dose administered on the day they are born.
Dr. Hampton said the first thing she asks patients who don’t want to give their newborns the vaccine is: “Tell me your concerns.” Often, they reply with some version of: “Why should I give this to my baby, anyway?”
“The answer I give is that it’s a safe vaccine,” she said. “It is very effective. And if you could start your baby’s protection from this minute, at birth — that would be what we recommend.”
Read the full article at The New York Times (subscription may be required).
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