A Danish Couple's Maverick African Research Finds Its Moment in RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Policy

"Aaby and his partner, Christine Stabell Benn, believed that the years of research in the impoverished country had yielded a major discovery about vaccines-and what they described as "non-specific effects": The measles and tuberculosis vaccines, which were derived from live, weakened viruses and bacteria, they said, boosted child survival beyond protecting against those particular pathogens."

"But, the scientists said, shots made from deactivated whole germs, or pieces of them, such as the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) shot, caused more deaths-especially in little girls-than getting no vaccine at all."

"The World Health Organization repeatedly and inconclusively examined these astonishing findings. They tended to elicit shrugs from other global health researchers, who found Aaby's research techniques unusual and his results generally impossible to replicate."

""They became more strident in saying that their findings were real and that the wor"

Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn collected data in Guinea-Bissau on about 100,000 people living in mud brick homes. They reported that measles and tuberculosis vaccines, made from live weakened organisms, improved child survival beyond protection against measles and tuberculosis. They described these benefits as “non-specific effects.” They also reported that vaccines made from deactivated whole germs or fragments, including diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, were associated with more deaths, especially among girls, compared with no vaccination. The World Health Organization examined the findings without reaching clear conclusions, and other researchers struggled to replicate the results. Later, Aaby and Benn gained more visibility as vaccine policy debates intensified, leading to renewed calls to update vaccine testing and regulation to account for non-specific effects.

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