A key vaccine policy advisory group is recommending that the public not receive vaccines that have thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative that’s used to prevent germs, fungus and bacteria from building up in vials.
While thimerosal isn’t common, the debate over its use at the federal public health level is seen as emblematic of the concerns of health experts, who fear that policies under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will chip away at evidence-based science.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, comprised of entirely new members appointed by Kennedy, voted Thursday to make the recommendation. The topic appearing on the meeting agenda at all came as a surprise to many in public health and clinician communities. The CDC itself says it’s been long established that there is no evidence that the amount of thimerosal included in some flu vaccines is harmful.
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