RFK Jr to remove mercury preservative from all US flu vaccines

 

• CDC advisory panel votes 5-1-1 to remove mercury from flu shots
• Thimerosal phaseout effort began in 1999; this marks final step
• US joins Europe in eliminating thimerosal from all flu vaccines

 Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday accepted the recommendation to remove mercury-based preservative thimerosal from all influenza vaccines distributed in the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 5-1-1 in favor of ensuring that all children under 18, pregnant women, and adults receive only single-dose, mercury-free flu vaccines, according to HHS.

“After more than two decades of delay, this action fulfills a long-overdue promise to protect our most vulnerable populations from unnecessary mercury exposure,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility.”

Other recommendations made by the panel at a June meeting are still under review, HHS said.

Kennedy accepted the recommendations in the absence of the CDC’s director, who typically signs off on them before they are implemented. President Donald Trump’s nomination for CDC director, Susan Monarez, is yet to be confirmed by the Senate.

Vaccine manufacturers have confirmed that they can meet demand to replace multi-dose vials containing the preservative, ensuring that supplies will not be interrupted, HHS said.

This move marks the final step in a process that began in 1999, when the U.S. Public Health Service, American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine manufacturers first agreed that any potential risk from mercury warranted its removal as soon as possible, according to HHS.

The U.S. policy now aligns with that of Europe, which removed mercury additives from vaccines years ago.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/hhs-accepts-recommendations-remove-thimerosal-flu-shots/