For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth.

One study estimates that an outbreak the size of the one in West Texas earlier this year costs about $12.6 million.

By 2025, more than 13 billion doses of the vaccine are estimated to have been administered globally, saving untold millions of lives and suffering.

In a meeting punctuated by conflict and confusion, the independent vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday again delayed a vote that could dramatically change ...