Experts say any change to the hepatitis B schedule could have significant and far-reaching consequences

Robert F Kennedy Jr’s vaccine advisory committee convenes on Thursday to consider a reversal of a decades-long program of childhood immunizations, including a recommendation to delay hepatitis B shots for newborn babies.

For decades, federal health recommendations have suggested that all newborns be vaccinated against the virus that can lead to serious liver disease. Kennedy, the US health secretary and a prominent anti-vaccine activist, has long pushed for delaying the shot.