A Danish Couple’s Maverick African Research Finds Its Moment in RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Policy
The research of Danish scientists Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn has gained renewed attention due to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s influence on U.S. vaccine policy. Their controversial findings suggest that certain vaccines may have non-specific effects on child mortality, which has sparked debate among health experts. Critics argue that their research methods are flawed and that their conclusions are not supported by larger studies.
- ▪Aaby and Benn claim that some vaccines boost child survival while others, like the DTP shot, may increase mortality rates.
- ▪Their findings have been largely dismissed by the global health community until recently, when they gained traction under Kennedy's administration.
- ▪Kennedy cited Aaby's work to justify significant cuts to Gavi, a global vaccination initiative, which could lead to millions of preventable deaths.
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Arthur Allen, KFF Health NewsScienceMay 18, 2026 5:00 AMA Danish Couple’s Maverick African Research Finds Its Moment in RFK Jr.’s Vaccine PolicyThe work of Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn has long been controversial. Until Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became US health policy chief, most vaccine scientists tended to ignore it. Now they can’t.Photograph: Tom Williams/Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyIn 1996, Guinea-Bissau seemed like an ideal research post for budding pediatrician Lone Graff Stensballe.
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