R.F.K. Jr. Likely to Swap U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule for Denmark’s. The shift would mean fewer shots recommended for children. But a Danish health official found the idea baffling, saying the United States was getting “crazier and crazier in public health.”

Replacing the U.S. vaccine schedule with one like Denmark’s would be negligence.

Denmark is a nation of about 6 million people — smaller than the Atlanta metro area It has universal health care, national patient registries and a highly homogeneous population with low rates of vaccine-preventable diseases. Its immunization program is designed for a system where every child is tracked, every parent has access to care and every gap is quickly closed.

The United States is a nation of 340 million featuring enormous geographic, socioeconomic and demographic diversity. Millions are uninsured, with more probably coming soon. Many lack consistent prenatal care. Children enter daycare earlier because of restrictive parental leave policies. Disease burdens differ dramatically. Public health infrastructure is heterogeneous, sometimes varying county by county.

This is similar to the president looking into an Australian-style retirement program for America.

Australia, as is Denmark, is much more structured than the U.S. and offers more benefits. It doesn't always work to pick and choose parts of a program and expect the parts to succeed.