Call for Review of Pediatric Vaccine Schedules
Dr. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, stated in an interview that the U.S. should regularly reassess its pediatric vaccine schedule in comparison to other countries.
On Friday, President Trump instructed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Acting Director of the CDC, Jim O’Neill, to examine vaccine schedules from nations like Japan and Denmark, which have fewer childhood vaccinations than the U.S. If these international schedules are found to be more effective, Kennedy and O’Neill will work on aligning the U.S. vaccine program with those countries.
Breitbart News spoke with Oz at the Kennedy Center Honors event on Sunday night, inquiring about the duration of such a review.
“We need to take a moment to discuss why it’s essential to re-evaluate,” Oz remarked. “Good parents, for instance, ensure their child is secured in a car seat properly—they don’t just trust that it’s safe without checking. They check everything to ensure their child’s safety. We’ve lagged in reviewing these practices for decades, which is concerning.”
“Secretary Kennedy mentioned that he plans to revisit the issues. He isn’t making any definitive calls, but he argues that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has thoroughly examined the hepatitis B vaccine and concluded that it really isn’t just about whether the vaccine is beneficial or not. Personally, I’ve received the hepatitis B vaccine and think it’s great, but its timing, especially concerning age and circumstances, matters,” he added.
“It’s reasonable to vaccinate a child if the mother carries the virus, but if she hasn’t had the virus and there’s no proof in her blood, perhaps we could delay the vaccination. The discussions between doctors and patients should be collaborative, and that’s a positive thing.”
Oz highlighted that President Trump is interested in exploring whether other countries have identified vaccine-related issues that might not have been considered in the U.S.
“What the president is suggesting is to investigate if other nations have resolved problems that we’ve overlooked. Why not?” Oz explained. “Several Western countries have robust systems for analyzing vaccine data and are making different choices. There are legal differences affecting how manufacturers are protected that need addressing. So, it’s time to dig deeper.”
