The US has formally rescinded federal recommendations for all flu jabs containing thimerosal – a mercury-based preservative that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked to autism – in a decision experts say is unlikely to affect most Americans seeking vaccines.
The preservative is added to multidose vials of flu vaccines to prevent bacteria from growing, but is not an ingredient of the single-dose vials administered to most people, reports The New York Times.
During the 2024-25 respiratory virus season, only 3% of children and 2% of older adults received flu vaccines containing thimerosal, according to an analysis of electronic health records by Truveta, a company that analyses such records.
Still, multi-dose vials are needed in places where it is difficult to store many vaccines, such as nursing homes or mobile clinics serving remote rural areas.
While the official sign-off does not withdraw vaccines containing thimerosal from the market, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy’s rescinding of the federal recommendation means such shots may not be available to Americans, because insurance companies are no longer required to cover them.
“We urge global health authorities to follow this prudent example for the protection of children worldwide,” Kennedy said in a statement.
Federal health officials began removing thimerosal from childhood vaccines about 25 years ago, citing an abundance of caution despite a lack of data supporting safety concerns. Dozens of studies have shown thimerosal to be harmless.
But the anti-vaccine community has long falsely maintained that the ingredient can cause neurological problems.
At a meeting of the vaccine advisers last month, Lyn Redwood, a former leader of Children’s Health Defence, the anti-vaccine group founded by Kennedy, claimed thimerosal was dangerous and toxic to children.
Her presentation incorrectly said the only flu vaccine still containing thimerosal had 50 micrograms per dose, double the actual amount.
The seven new advisers voted five to one, with one abstention, to withdraw recommendations for flu vaccines containing thimerosal for children, pregnant women and other adults.
The director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention typically accepts the recommendations of the committee. But the agency does not currently have a leader, so the decision fell to Kennedy.
The New York Times article – Kennedy Rescinds Endorsements for Some Flu Vaccines (Restricted access)
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