Will the U.S. copy Denmark's vaccine schedule?

[ad_1] The Trump administration has acknowledged it desires the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule to look extra like peer nations corresponding to Denmark. Critics say the U.S. has completely different well being threats.

JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:

The Trump administration has mentioned it desires to align its childhood vaccination schedule with greatest practices in peer nations - locations like Denmark. That might imply fewer vaccines in opposition to fewer ailments. However critics say you possibly can't merely undertake one other nation's vaccine schedule within the U.S., which has a really completely different inhabitants and completely different well being dangers. Right here to inform us extra is NPR's Maria Godoy. Hello there.

MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: Hello.

SUMMERS: Maria, for starters, why Denmark? What's the U.S. seeking to emulate with regards to childhood vaccines?

GODOY: Effectively, Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has lengthy mentioned he thinks American youngsters get too many vaccines. And earlier this month, President Trump issued a memorandum directing Kennedy and the performing CDC director to take a look at greatest practices from peer nations, and it particularly talked about Denmark, which vaccinates all youngsters in opposition to simply 10 ailments. In the meantime, the U.S. recommends routine vaccination in opposition to 16 ailments. It was truly 17 till final week when the CDC dropped the advice for vaccinating all newborns in opposition to hepatitis B. And earlier this month, at a gathering of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel, an FDA official gave a giant presentation actually highlighting Denmark's childhood vaccination schedule.

SUMMERS: I imply, Denmark is a rich nation, and it does have an incredible well being care system, so one may argue why not emulate their vaccine schedule?

GODOY: You realize, I requested this of Dr. Sean O'Leary with the American Academy of Pediatrics, and here is what he mentioned.

SEAN O'LEARY: It is like evaluating a cruise ship to a kayak. I imply, for instance, Denmark is the dimensions of roughly Wisconsin.

GODOY: He notes Denmark's inhabitants is barely about 6 million individuals, and it isn't very numerous in earnings or race, not like the U.S. It is received a nationwide well being registry that principally tracks everybody from start to loss of life and free common well being care that makes it simpler to get care when you're sick. Households get a couple of yr of paid parental depart to allow them to keep dwelling with their infants, in order that they doubtlessly aren't uncovered to as many ailments. And if an toddler will get hospitalized, for instance, with RSV, which Denmark doesn't vaccinate in opposition to, their well being system absorbs that value, so it isn't a barrier to getting care.

SUMMERS: And I am going to simply observe that sounds fairly completely different from the scenario right here within the U.S.

GODOY: Precisely. And right here, lots of people wrestle with well being care entry, and we even have increased charges of childhood weight problems and bronchial asthma. And we put extra of an emphasis on illness prevention somewhat than administration. You realize, I additionally spoke with Dr. William Moss of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg College of Public Well being, and he says here is the underside line.

WILLIAM MOSS: The explanation why nations, notably in Europe, have completely different vaccination schedules just isn't as a result of they think about the vaccines to not be secure or that the vaccines do not work. And I believe it is essential that individuals perceive that.

GODOY: He says it truly is about all these different variations in context.

SUMMERS: Maria, we spoke about Denmark, however how does the U.S. evaluate to different peer nations with regards to childhood vaccines?

GODOY: You realize, I requested the identical query to Josh Michaud, a worldwide well being professional with KFF. And he says that whenever you take a look at the 30 nations which are a part of the European Centre for Illness Prevention and Management, the U.S. could be very a lot in step with them.

JOSH MICHAUD: It's Denmark that appears to be the outlier right here when it comes to recommending only a few vaccines. So within the case of Germany and France and Italy, we is perhaps speaking about 15 or extra vaccines.

SUMMERS: OK, so some variation there. Is that this one thing we count on the Trump administration to maneuver on within the close to future?

GODOY: Yeah, that is the large query. The Well being and Human Providers Division despatched out notices final Thursday saying they have been going to make an announcement on youngsters's well being, however they canceled it just a few hours later. Media stories counsel the administration had deliberate to announce an overhaul of the childhood vaccination schedule, however HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon declined to debate the matter.

SUMMERS: NPR's Maria Godoy, thanks.

GODOY: My pleasure.

Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts might fluctuate. Transcript textual content could also be revised to appropriate errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its unique broadcast or publication. The authoritative document of NPR’s programming is the audio document.