Episode 41: ACIP Undone: Proof, Policy, and Panic Over a Hepatitis B Vaccine

This episode was updated in March 2026 to explicitly frame the hepatitis B birth dose controversy through a systems-level lens — examining how evidence-based vaccine policy can be destabilized when institutional safeguards are removed, and why recognizing those failures is essential to restoring public trust. This episode unpacks everything you need to know about hepatitis B and the life-saving vaccine that helps prevent chronic liver disease and liver cancer later in life. From the biology of the virus to the science behind the birth dose, we explore how this vaccine works, why it’s given so early, and what’s at stake now that ideology is overriding evidence in U.S. vaccine policy. We also confront a dangerous shift in public health: the dismantling of expert-driven systems in favor of anti-vaccine rhetoric. The result isn’t just political—it’s personal. And it puts newborns at risk. In this episode: How hepatitis B infects the liver and evades the immune system Why newborns are uniquely vulnerable to chronic infection The history and science behind the universal birth dose What the ACIP overhaul means for public trust and public health Vaccine safety, ingredients, and long-term effectiveness Debunking the most common lies circulating on social media All citations are in the blog post for this episode at infectiousdose.com