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The first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is delivered to newborns for maximum protection. The U.S. has taken the vaccine off its list of recommended vaccines while other countries are racing to secure the lifesaving vaccine vials.
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in an unprecedented change, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the number of vaccines recommended for all children on Monday. One of them is the hepatitis B vaccine, a three-dose series first given at birth that protects against a risky virus that relentlessly attacks the liver.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long questioned the safety and efficacy of the newborn dose, even Vaccines given at birth offer hope in Ghana
Table of Contents Reducing the spread from mom to child is simple. All it takes is a jab in the thigh within 24 hours of birth,with two additional pokes later in childhood for long-term protection. That first shot is the most cost-effective way to prevent transmission – and the numbers show it. “the pillar of prevention of mother-to-child transmission is that timely birth dose,” So says. “That will protect most of the newborns born to infected mothers.” About 75% to 95% effective, in fact, and roughly a quarter of infants gain lifelong protection from a single shot alone, and follow-up doses strengthen that shield. The second dose confers long-term protection to about two-thirds of babies, and the third raises that figure to 95%. Though, that life-saving intervention isn’t widely available in Ghana, despite a 2009 World Health Organization recommendation to all In recent years, Ghana’s economy has struggled with rampant inflation and debt, squeezing its health budget. The country has one of the lowest levels of health spending as a share of GDP worldwide – about $82 per person. Those few dollars that are available for health spending weren’t enough to cover the cost of a newborn vaccination program for hepatitis B. “We haven’t taken that bold step yet,” Adjei says. “The reality is, until Gavi comes in, forget it, you won’t have the budgetary support.” Gavi, the organization that funds immunizations for lower-income countries, helps Ghana fund the pentavalent vaccine. However, the newborn vaccine was never funded. That’s because Gavi co-finances vaccines, a process where countries are generally asked to pay at least 20 cents per dose, and Gavi covers the rest. But the newborn vaccine once cost just 20 cents, meaning countries would’ve had to pay the full price nonetheless – without any aid from Gavi. The organization put the vaccine on hold, and Ghana was left to fend for itself. By 2014,Gavi said it would “focus its limited resources on other high-impact vaccines.” Without Gavi’s negotiating power, the shot would cost patients $3.50 per dose, according to Adjei. As a result, the free pentavalent shot remained the standard. Implementing the newborn vaccine would also be logistically challenging. The poke has to be given to babies within 24 hours of birth, but in Ghana, more than one-fifth of births happen Ghana to Launch Nationwide Hepatitis B Birth Vaccine Program in 2026
After decades of advocacy and overcoming financial hurdles, Ghana will begin a nationwide program to vaccinate newborns against Hepatitis B in 2026. The initiative aims to significantly reduce the prevalence of chronic Hepatitis B infections and related liver diseases in the country. Ghana first considered introducing a universal newborn Hepatitis B vaccine in the 1990s, but high costs presented a major obstacle.according to a 2022 report in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, the cost of the vaccine and its delivery posed a substantial challenge for low- and middle-income countries like Ghana. Read the full report here. Civil society organizations and health advocates continued pushing for the vaccine’s inclusion in the national immunization program. Public pressure intensified following reports highlighting the disease’s impact. A breakthrough came in 2024 when Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, announced it would help cover the cost of newborn Hepatitis B vaccines. Gavi’s announcement provided a framework for Ghana to co-purchase mass quantities of the vaccine. Despite Gavi’s support, official government approval and implementation planning took another year. in 2025, the Ghanaian government announced its commitment to introduce the vaccine. The Ghana Health Service stated its intention to launch the program in september 2025, as confirmed in a video statement at the 50:27 mark. View the video here. Further details are outlined in Modern Ghana’s coverage of the Gavi approval and Ghana’s 2025 National Hepatitis Elimination Profile. The program is now scheduled to begin in 2026, offering a crucial step towards eliminating Hepatitis B as a public health threat in Ghana.Ghana’s uphill battle to give all babies a poke
A Long Fight for Prevention
Gavi Support Enables Implementation