{
  "abstract": "Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a global health challenge, with more than 250 million people chronically infected worldwide and >2000 daily deaths from HBV‐related disease. Early‐life acquisition is the primary driver of chronic infection; up to 90% of infants infected perinatally progress to chronic HBV infection compared with markedly lower rates in older children and adults. Universal infant immunization, including the birth‐dose, has been central to global elimination, resulting in a substantial reduction in chronic HBV infection, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention question the evidence‐base for early‐life vaccination and recommend deferring HBV immunization until later in childhood. These claims reflect misconceptions about HBV epidemiology and reference a perceived association between infant vaccination and autism. This communication summarizes evidence demonstrating the risks of early‐life HBV transmission leading to chronic infection. We argue that delaying or foregoing immunization would leave infants at unnecessary risk. We reference two decades of research in which large‐scale studies have not identified an association between vaccination, including HBV vaccination, and autism.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of General Pediatrics Medical University of Graz Graz Austria",
    "Pediatric Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS Florence Italy",
    "NEUROFARBA Department University of Florence Florence Italy",
    "Department of Pediatric Kidney Liver and Metabolic Diseases, Division for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hannover Medical School Hannover Germany",
    "Hospital Dona Estefânia, Lisbon Lisbon Portugal",
    "Pediatric Hepatology and Pediatric Liver Transplant Department Reference Center for Biliary Atresia and Genetic Cholestasis, FSMR FILFOIE, ERN RARE LIVER, AP‐HP, Paris‐Saclay University, Bicêtre Hospital Kremlin‐Bicêtre France",
    "INSERM UMR‐S 1193, Paris‐Saclay University, Hépatinov Orsay France",
    "Pediatric Hepatology Gastroenterology and Transplantation Unit, ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII Bergamo Italy",
    "Second Pediatric Discipline, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj‐Napoca, Center of Expertise in Pediatric Liver Rare Disorders, Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children Cluj‐Napoca Cluj‐Napoca Romania",
    "Pediatric Hepatology and Liver Transplant Unit, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Spain",
    "Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division Cliniques Universitaires Saint‐Luc, UCLouvain Brussels Belgium",
    "Paediatric Liver, GI & Nutrition Centre and MowatLabs King's College Hospital London UK",
    "Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands",
    "Schneider Children's Medical Centre, Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel‐Aviv University Tel‐Aviv Israel",
    "Department of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, Children's Health Ireland and University College Dublin Dublin Ireland"
  ],
  "article_type": "brief report",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 14,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Benno Kohlmaier"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Giuseppe Indolfi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ulrich Baumann"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Cristina Gonçalves",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2755-3513"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Emmanuel Gonzales",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1546-3193"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Norman Junge",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3099-2667"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Emanuele Nicastro"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Tudor Lucian Pop",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4931-1219"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Jesus Quintero"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10
      ],
      "name": "Xavier Stephenne",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1381-2265"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
      ],
      "name": "Bethany Tucker"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12
      ],
      "name": "Hubert Van Der Doef"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        13
      ],
      "name": "Orith Waisbourd‐Zinman",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0410-175X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Emer Fitzpatrick",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1364-5305"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b4drexxwr0zmg.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1002/jpn3.70543",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13736125/",
  "id": "b4drexxwr0zmg",
  "issns": [
    "0277-2116",
    "1536-4801"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/jpn3.70543",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Hepatology"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Short Communication"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2713|Hepatitis B Virus Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204842806",
  "pdf_url": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/jpn3.70543",
  "pmcid": "PMC13736125",
  "pmid": "42670276",
  "published": "2026-08-31",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b4drexxwr0zmg.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T12:21:39Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13736125",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/jpn3.70543"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2713|Hepatitis B Virus Studies",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Immunization and the hepatitis B virus: A view from the ESPGHAN Hepatology Committee",
  "title_text": "Immunization and the hepatitis B virus: A view from the ESPGHAN Hepatology Committee",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T12:21:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b4drexxwr0zmg",
  "venue": "Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition",
  "versions": []
}