No, the US vaccine schedule doesn't call for babies to get '72 injections' - Poynter

"The Jan. 5 White House graphic showed two babies, each surrounded by needles, with the text: "European Country: 11 injections. United States: 72 injections." It cited a recent U.S. Health and Human Services report on the 2024 U.S. childhood and adolescent immunization schedule, which shows Denmark is the graphic's "European country." President Donald Trump posted the same count on Truth Social after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it was reducing the number of vaccines routinely recommended to children."

"The comparison to Denmark is also faulty: It uses the most exaggerated count of "injections" for the U.S. while using the most conservative count for Denmark. No matter how you count, babies under 2 did not receive 72 vaccines The CDC never recommended babies get 72 injections. In 2024 and part of 2025, before the Trump administration's changes, it recommended children up to age 2 get up to 12 different vaccines protecting against 16 diseases. Some vaccines are administered in several doses."

"Seventy-two is around the number of routinely recommended doses - not injections - that could have been given over 18 years, beginning in infancy. Half of those doses are from annual flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Doses rarely equal "injections." That's because many childhood vaccine doses can be delivered in combination vaccines, in which one syringe contains several vaccines. Other times, vaccines can be given orally, like the rotavirus vaccine, or via nasal spray, like"

A White House graphic compared 'European Country: 11 injections' to 'United States: 72 injections' and cited a 2024 HHS immunization schedule showing Denmark as the European example. The graphic and social media posts used an exaggerated U.S. injection count and a conservative Danish count. CDC guidance in 2024–early 2025 recommended up to 12 different vaccines protecting against 16 diseases for children up to age 2, not 72 injections. The figure of 72 approximates total routinely recommended doses across 18 years, many of which are annual flu and COVID-19 doses. Doses can be combined in one syringe or given orally or nasally, so doses rarely equal injections.

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