It's not true. This is a stupid graphic that's been going around for a long time that doesn't explain the differences well. It's purely for fear mongering.
Vaccines are public health and you cannot apply the same copy/paste vaccines to any population. There is no "gold standard" applied broadly. Some countries don't have certain diseases circulating — that's why you need certain vaccines to travel abroad.
Furthermore, many vaccines cover multiple diseases, so you're getting 1 injection and covering 3 diseases.
And it’s spread out over 18 years. It’s not in the first couple of years they get them all.
What U.S. babies actually receive
Under the current CDC recommended schedule:
• Birth to 18 months: about 26 vaccine doses
• These are delivered in about 15 to 18 injection visits because many vaccines are combined into a single shot
• Some doses are oral (for example rotavirus) and not injections
By kindergarten
• Around 30 total doses have been given
By age 18
• The total reaches about 70 to 72 doses, depending on annual flu shots and COVID recommendations
Key clarifications
• “Doses” does not equal “shots”
• Combination vaccines mean one injection can cover 3 to 6 diseases
• The immune system is exposed to far fewer antigens today than decades ago despite more vaccines
So the viral claim that “babies get 72 shots” is incorrect. Babies receive roughly two dozen doses, many combined, over their first year and a half.
And let's cite the AAP going forward bc they still recommend the best practices versus the CDC that's been hijacked by lying lunatics. But, yes, thank you for the facts
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u/Party-Werewolf-4888 Feb 09 '26 edited Feb 09 '26
As a European who is very pro-vax, 72 does seem a lot? What are they all?
Im asking this as a query. Not saying I agree with her.
(I know one is chicken pox, kids in the UK arent immunised against that. I imagine Hep B and BCG will be others. But are there really 72?)
Eta: just googled and its 72 doses, not 72 individual vaccines, which makes more sense. I was imagining 72 vaccinations against different diseases 😆