Claim: American children receive 72 vaccine injections before the age of 18

The claim that American children receive 72 vaccine injections before the age of 18 is mostly false. Mainstream sources like PolitiFact and STAT report that the actual number of doses is closer to 50-54, depending on specific vaccines. Some sources, such as UC Davis Health, mention that 72 doses could be counted when including all recommended vaccines, including flu and COVID shots. However, this interpretation is not widely accepted and can lead to confusion about the actual vaccination schedule. Disputing sources emphasize the importance of distinguishing between doses and injections, which affects the accuracy of the claim. The models diverge sharply — treat this as higher-uncertainty. Perplexity comes in highest (72%), while Gemini is lowest (5%). Gemini expresses higher confidence than OpenAI on this claim. While some sources, like UC Davis Health, state that children could receive 72 doses if all recommended vaccines are included, this does not align with the majority of evidence which indicates a lower number of actual injections. The discrepancy arises from how doses are counted, particularly with vaccines like flu and COVID. This variation in interpretation does not fundamentally change the overall assessment that the claim is misleading, as the majority of reputable sources provide a lower figure for injections. Thus, the claim remains mostly false despite some supporting evidence for a higher count under specific conditions.