President Donald Trump signed a memo on Dec. 5 seeking to align U.S. childhood vaccine recommendations with best practices in “developed countries,” where children receive fewer vaccines than in the United States.
In his memo, Trump stated that when he started his second term in January, the U.S. recommended immunizing children against 18 diseases, including COVID-19, which is higher than those recommended in Denmark (10), Japan (14), and Germany (15).
“Other current United States childhood vaccine recommendations also depart from policies in the majority of developed countries,” he said, adding that further study is needed to ensure Americans receive “scientifically-supported medical advice.”
A White House fact sheet accompanying the memo states that the U.S. currently recommends yearly influenza vaccines starting at six months, whereas many peer countries do not recommend yearly influenza vaccination as a core childhood vaccination….