The Trump administration has said it wants the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule to more closely resemble peer countries such as Denmark. Critics say there are other health threats in the US.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The Trump administration has said it wants to bring its childhood vaccination schedule in line with best practices in similar countries such as Denmark. This could mean fewer vaccines against fewer diseases. But critics say the U.S. can't simply adopt another country's vaccination schedule, with a very different population and different health risks. NPR's Maria Godoy tells us more. Hi all.
MARIA GODOY, AUTHOR: Hello.
SUMMERS: Maria, first of all, why Denmark? What does the US want to emulate when it comes to childhood vaccines?
GODOY: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long said he believes American children are getting too many vaccines. And earlier this month, President Trump issued a memo directing Kennedy and the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study best practices in other countries, and it specifically mentioned Denmark, which vaccinates all children against just 10 diseases. Meanwhile, the United States recommends routine vaccination against 16 diseases. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rescinded its recommendation that all newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B at age 17. And earlier this month, at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine advisory group, an FDA representative gave a big presentation that actually highlighted Denmark's childhood vaccination schedule.
SUMMERS: I mean, Denmark is a rich country and they have a great health care system, so you could argue why not follow their vaccination schedule?
GODOY: You know, I asked Dr. Sean O'Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics about this, and this is what he said.
SEAN O'LEARY: It's like comparing a cruise ship to a kayak. I mean, for example, Denmark is about the size of Wisconsin.
GODOY: He points out that Denmark's population is only about 6 million, and it's not very diverse in income or race, unlike the United States. It has a national health registry that basically tracks everyone from birth to death, and free universal health care that makes it easier to get medical care if you get sick. Families get about a year of paid parental leave so they can stay home with their children and potentially not be exposed to as many illnesses. And if a baby is hospitalized, for example, with RSV, for which they do not vaccinate in Denmark, their health care system covers these costs, so this is not a barrier to receiving medical care.
SUMMERS: And I'll just point out that this is very different from the situation here in the United States.
GODOY: Exactly. And here, many people have difficulty accessing health care, and we also have higher rates of childhood obesity and asthma. And we pay more attention to disease prevention rather than treatment. You know, I also talked to Dr. William Moss from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and he said, here's the bottom line.
WILLIAM MOSS: The reason countries, especially in Europe, have different vaccination schedules is not because they think the vaccines are unsafe or that they don't work. And I think it's very important that people understand that.
GODOY: He says it's really about all the other differences in context.
SUMMERS: Maria, we talked about Denmark, but how does the US compare to other countries when it comes to childhood vaccines?
GODOY: You know, I asked the same question to Josh Michaud, the global health expert at KFF. And he says that if you look at the 30 countries that make up the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the United States is very much in line with them.
JOSH MICHAUD: Denmark seems to stand out among the rest in terms of recommending very few vaccines. So in the case of Germany, France and Italy we can talk about 15 or more vaccines.
SUMMERS: Okay, there are some variations. Do we expect the Trump administration to move in this direction in the near future?
GODOY: Yes, that's a big question. The Department of Health and Human Services sent out notices last Thursday that it was going to make an announcement about children's health, but canceled it hours later. According to media reports, the administration planned to announce a review of the childhood vaccination schedule, but HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon declined to discuss the issue.
SUMMERS: NPR's Maria Godoy, thank you.
GODOY: My pleasure.
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