Should the U.S. model its vaccine policy on Denmark's? Experts say we're nothing alike

"Earlier this month, President Trump issued a memorandum directing Kennedy and the acting director of the CDC to align the U.S. with best practices on childhood vaccine recommendations from peer nations, and it specifically mentioned Denmark. That could mean fewer shots against fewer diseases. But critics say you can't simply adopt another country's vaccine schedule in the U.S., which has a very different population and different health risks."

"Denmark recommends routinely vaccinating all children against just 10 diseases. In the U.S., the immunization schedule calls for routine universal vaccination against 16 diseases. It was 17 diseases until last week, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially dropped the recommendation to vaccinate all newborns against hepatitis B. But Denmark has created its immunization schedule in a very different context than that of the U.S., notes Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics."

A presidential memorandum directed alignment of U.S. childhood vaccine recommendations with peer nations, mentioning Denmark, which could lead to fewer routine vaccinations. Denmark routinely vaccinates children against 10 diseases, while the U.S. schedule covers 16 diseases after the recent CDC removal of the universal newborn hepatitis B recommendation. Critics warn that another country’s schedule cannot be simply adopted because the U.S. has a much larger, more diverse population, greater income disparities, and different health risks. Denmark operates with about 6 million people and a unified national health registry that tracks individuals across lifespans, unlike the U.S. system.

Read at www.npr.org