U.S. vaccine panel rejects flu shots with a specific preservative, despite safety data

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 4:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

The Trump administration's caller vaccine advisers connected Thursday endorsed this fall's flu vaccinations for conscionable astir each American — but lone if they usage definite shots escaped of a preservative that has been safely utilized successful vaccines for decades.   

What is usually a regular measurement successful preparing for the upcoming flu play drew aggravated scrutiny aft U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly fired the influential 17-member Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices (ACIP)and handpicked replacements that see respective vaccine skeptics.   

The seven-member sheet bucked different norm Thursday arsenic it discussed the information of a preservative utilized successful little than 5 per cent of U.S. flu vaccinations: It deliberated based lone connected a presumption from an anti-vaccine group's erstwhile person — without allowing the accustomed nationalist airing of technological information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The preservative, thimerosal, has been utilized for decades successful definite vaccines that travel successful multi-dose vials, to forestall contamination arsenic each dose is withdrawn. Its controversy stems from containing a tiny magnitude of a peculiar benignant of mercury. However, the CDC's ain information shows it is safe, and connected Friday the World Health Organization stated successful a property briefing that determination was nary grounds of risk.

"Thimerosal has been reviewed aggregate times by aggregate agencies, including WHO, and it's wide from the grounds that determination is nary grounds of harm from the usage of thimerosal," Dr. Katherine O'Brien from WHO told reporters successful absorption to the U.S. sheet decision. 

Thimerosal contains a infinitesimal magnitude of ethyl mercury, which breaks down rapidly successful the assemblage and is swiftly removed, dissimilar methyl mercury, the benignant of mercury recovered successful the situation which tin physique up successful the assemblage and origin harm. In Canada, a fistful of multi-dose influenza vaccines approved for usage by Health Canada incorporate thimerosal, but the immense bulk of regular puerility vaccines bash not. 

Single-dose flu shots unaffected

Study aft survey has recovered nary grounds that thimerosal causes autism, a story agelong pushed by anti-vaccine groups, oregon poses immoderate information risks. Yet since 2001, each vaccines routinely utilized for U.S. children property 6 years oregon younger person already travel successful thimerosal-free formulas.

The advisory sheet voted to backmost the accustomed U.S. proposal that astir everyone property six months and older get an yearly flu vaccination, but past voted 5-1 with 1 abstention that these had to beryllium thimerosal-free formulations.

This would see single-dose shots that already are the astir communal benignant of flu vaccination, and would regularisation retired the subset of flu vaccine dispensed successful multi-dose vials.

"There is inactive nary demonstrable grounds of harm," 1 panelist, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a psychiatrist formerly with the National Institutes of Health, said successful acknowledging the committee wasn't pursuing its accustomed signifier of acting connected evidence.

But helium argued that "we person to respect the fearfulness of mercury" that helium said mightiness dissuade immoderate radical from getting vaccinated.

Panel blocked CDC's analysis

Lyn Redwood, formerly of the Kennedy-founded anti-vaccine radical Children's Health Defense, gave the presumption connected thimerosal in beforehand of the panel, arguing that it was a neurotoxin.

The mentation of Redwood's presumption posted to the CDC's website earlier this week initially included a notation to a survey that does not exist. The study she gave to the committee was importantly shorter, removing a notation to that survey and different descent saying she did not person immoderate conflicts of interest.

"With the ballot connected thimerosal this afternoon, the caller committee has turned the ACIP process into a farce," said erstwhile CDC vaccine advisor Dr. Fiona Havers, who resigned past week implicit Kennedy's changes to vaccine policy.

Medical groups decried the panel's deficiency of transparency successful blocking a CDC investigation of thimerosal that concluded determination was nary nexus betwixt the preservative and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. The information had been posted connected the committee's website Tuesday, but was aboriginal removed — because, according to ACIP subordinate Dr. Robert Malone, the study hadn't been authorized by Kennedy's office. Panel members said they had work it.

The ACIP helps the CDC find who should beryllium vaccinated against a agelong database of diseases, and when, and its recommendations person a large interaction connected availability and security sum of vaccines successful the U.S. 

Normally the CDC's manager would determine whether to judge ACIP's recommendation, but the Senate has not yet confirmed nominee Susan Monarez. Administration officials said Kennedy would marque that decision.

While Thursday's statement progressive lone a tiny fraction of flu vaccines, immoderate nationalist wellness experts contend the treatment unnecessarily raised uncertainty astir vaccine safety. Already, less than fractional of Americans get their yearly flu vaccinations, and mistrust successful vaccines wide is growing.   

"Selective usage of information and omission of established subject undermines nationalist spot and fuels misinformation," said Dr. Sean O'Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). He said of the caller panelists, "Nothing astir their caller actions person been science-based oregon transparent."

WATCH: Misinformation 1 of the factors down diminution successful puerility vaccination globally: 

The pediatrics radical announced Wednesday that it would nary longer beryllium participating successful the ACIP meetings, with president Sue Kressly saying successful a video connection that "with the committee dismissals, it is nary longer a credible process." The AAP volition continue publishing its ain vaccination recommendations. 

The flu votes marked the last measurement of a two-day gathering that alarmed pediatricians and different doctors' groups, who pointed to caller panelists' deficiency of expertise successful however to decently way vaccine information — and a displacement successful absorption which appears to boost anti-vaccine messaging. 

Of peculiar interest was the announcement by sheet president Martin Kulldorff to reevaluate the "cumulative effect" of the children's vaccine docket — the database of immunizations fixed astatine antithetic times passim childhood. That reflects the scientifically debunked conception that children contiguous get excessively galore vaccinations for their immune systems.