Federal vaccine panel concludes meeting with flu shot recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Thursday voted to uphold the recommendation for all individuals over 6 months of age to receive an annual flu vaccine. However, the panel voted 5-1 to only recommend the single-dose formulation of the shot that does not include the preservative thimerosal for patients under 18 years of age. One panelist abstained from voting on both issues. During its two-day meeting this week, the advisory committee also voted 5-2 to approve a monoclonal antibody treatment for infants whose mothers were not vaccinated for maternal respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The panel voted unanimously to approve a resolution adding information about the shot to the Vaccines for Children Program.

Why did the panel recommend against thimerosal? The mercury-containing compound has been used since the 1930s to prevent the growth of bacteria in vaccines and other biological products, according to the Food and Drug Administration. While it was once common in vaccines, its use has declined as shots have been reformulated. In 1999, the FDA conducted a comprehensive review of the use of thimerosal and found no evidence of health risks from the compound. Health authorities removed thimerosal from childhood vaccines altogether in 2001 as a precautionary measure. Several childhood vaccines including those for measles, chickenpox, and polio have never contained the preservative, according to the CDC.

Vaccine critics, including the Children’s Health Defense founded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have claimed the preservative is linked to autism. Kennedy this week cited studies that suggest thimerosal could affect nervous and reproductive systems. Meanwhile, studies have not found a connection between thimerosal and higher rates of autism.

What else is happening with vaccines? Kennedy on Wednesday said the United States would pull funding from the international vaccine alliance Gavi. He said the organization had failed to address vaccine safety issues and criticized the group for its actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Gavi and the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders criticized the move, saying the organization’s work was vital to protect children around the world.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report about Kennedy launching studies to identify the causes of autism.