Health secretary expected to propose Denmark-style, smaller childhood vaccine schedule

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce in the new year that American children should be immunized according to Denmark’s schedule, which recommends fewer vaccines, following a directive from President Trump. The change would bypass the evidence-based, committee-led process that has underpinned U.S.

vaccine recommendations and could affect whether private insurance and government assistance programs cover the shots, the report said. Medical experts warned that losing strong endorsements for some vaccines could create financial and logistical hurdles, further erode confidence in immunizations and increase the chances of disease outbreaks; measles and whooping cough are already resurgent in multiple states.

The United States currently recommends immunizing all children against 17 diseases; adopting Denmark’s schedule would omit seven of those: respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, rotavirus, chickenpox, meningitis, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Danish and German health officials told the Times they were baffled by the push to emulate their countries, noting Denmark’s smaller, more homogeneous population and universal health care.

Anders Hviid of Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut said, "It’s not at all fair to say look at Denmark unless you can match the other characteristics of Denmark," and said Denmark omits some shots because the diseases are not common enough there to make vaccination cost-effective.

Key Topics

Health, Denmark, Statens Serum Institut, Acip, Hepatitis B