Latest news with #thimerosal
The Guardian
30-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
US medical groups fill gap with own vaccine guides amid ‘information crisis'
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is adopting a recommendation from independent advisers to drop thimerosal, a preservative found in about 4% of flu vaccines, despite evidence that it poses no risks and helps prevent bacterial and fungal infections. But Robert F Kennedy Jr, the HHS secretary, has not adopted two other votes from the advisory meeting: recommending annual flu vaccines for everyone over the age of six months and RSV shots for infants. As science becomes increasingly politicized and federal officials change policies on vaccination, sometimes reportedly over the advice of their own scientists, independent scientific groups are now stepping into the gap for evidence-based recommendations. Medical groups now plan to issue vaccine recommendations in the wake of changes to routine vaccine guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recommendations like these may help the public – and health insurance companies – understand which shots should be part of the routine schedule, and why. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) announced this month that it will release new guidance for Covid, flu and RSV vaccination during pregnancy. The guidance will appear at the end of the summer, before the winter respiratory season. Five other scientific groups – the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physicians – also plan to release vaccine guidance. The news comes amid growing changes to how vaccines are recommended by US officials. Kennedy and other officials have also announced new restrictions on Covid vaccines, and Kennedy framed vaccination with the measles, mumps, and rubella shot as a 'personal' choice during the worst US measles outbreak in three decades. A new endeavor, the Vaccine Integrity Project, is now conducting a wide-ranging review of scientific studies on vaccines, due to wrap up in the next two to three weeks. The volunteer-driven vaccine project is analyzing 16,400 publications on flu, Covid and RSV vaccines. The scientific groups will then draw upon that review to issue guidance for the populations they serve, including children, high-risk people, pregnant people and healthy adults. 'We're not making recommendations ourselves. We're just providing them with the information,' said Michael Osterholm, the epidemiologist heading the project at the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (Cidrap). It is an effort to take up the work done by the CDC's independent advisory group, the advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP), since 1964. 'For the past five-plus decades, we have looked at the CDC as the authoritative source for guidance and information related to vaccines,' said Scott Rivkees, associate dean for education in the Brown University School of Public Health and former surgeon general of Florida. Now, 'the medical community very much disagrees with' the current approach from health agencies, he said, and it is quickly pivoting from relying on CDC recommendations to collaborating on their own. Americans are facing an 'information crisis' as official guidance falters, Osterholm said. 'The CDC science has been corrupted'. Changing official health guidance 'results in total confusion', Rivkees said. 'Who do you listen to? It really puts parents and families in an incredibly difficult situation.' Parents 'have more questions now than before. We see more vaccine hesitancy than before. We see more vaccine refusal than before,' Rivkees continued. 'These changes that are happening now are the result of politics, not related to science.' Organizations like the Vaccine Integrity Project and its collaboration with medical groups will be vital to 'preserve what we know works' when it comes to protecting people from infectious diseases and other health issues, said Rivkees. The scientific groups already have expertise – and trust – in these areas, he said. Working together will help them make evidence-based, trustworthy recommendations. Kennedy announced in May that the CDC would no longer recommend Covid vaccines during pregnancy, despite strong and consistent evidence that the vaccines are safe in pregnancy and that pregnancy is a major risk factor for severe illness and death from Covid. 'Immunization is especially important during pregnancy, when the risks of severe outcomes are heightened – and when vaccines can provide critical protection to the infant after birth,' Sandra E Brooks, CEO of ACOG, said in a statement. The CDC also changed the pediatric Covid recommendation from 'should' to 'may' and FDA officials put greater restrictions on who may receive Covid boosters. Yet Covid remains a major threat. 'This year, the number of hospitalizations, serious illnesses and deaths in kids from Covid exceeded that of influenza, and this was one of the worst influenza years in a decade,' Osterholm said. Flu and RSV also pose major risks, and without recommendations from the CDC for annual boosters, those vaccines and preventives could face an uncertain future. The respiratory vaccine guidance is only the beginning, Osterholm said. 'This was just the first effort, because it was the most immediate need right now.' After this, the organization will focus on data for other routine vaccinations. 'The thought that we now have to care for more children with measles, more children with whooping cough than before, is really very unfortunate,' Rivkees said. 'I'm very afraid that this country is moving to a situation where some elements within our nation are going to accept children dying of measles, children dying of whooping cough, teenagers dying of meningitis, not getting vaccinated as the new normal. And the thought that we are going to now be able to think that this is acceptable is frankly terrifying.' Outside guidance will help parents and providers navigate the evidence on vaccines, Rivkees said – and it may help insurers decide which vaccines to cover. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers are required to cover vaccines recommended by ACIP. 'As ACIP makes changes to recommendations, then the question comes, are these vaccines going to continue to be covered or not? Whereas before insurance may pay for certain vaccines, maybe they won't in the future, which means families will have to pay out of pocket,' Rivkees said. Decreases in vaccination could mean manufacturers make fewer vaccines or pull out of the market entirely. 'The other thing that we're also very worried about is what's going to happen to the vaccine supply,' Rivkees said. Vaccines help insurers save money by preventing illness, Osterholm said. 'But they've got to have a basis for making the decision that 'we will support this,' and that's what we're trying to provide.' The outside recommendations are meant as a stopgap measure, Osterholm says. 'We need our old ACIP back. We need to have the kind of scientific expertise, based on the expertise in the community, to ensure the vaccine enterprise is healthy and exists,' Osterholm said. 'We're not, as the Vaccine Integrity Project, hoping that we exist for very long. We'd love to see us go away because of the return of ACIP and CDC leadership,' he added. But, he said, 'we know that that's not going to happen, at least for the next few years'.
Yahoo
26-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A farewell to Ozzy, Coke's sugar high, another vaccine shake-up: The week in review
RFK shakes up vaccines again Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took another step toward overhauling the nation's vaccine policy when he approved the removal of thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, from all flu vaccines despite widespread agreement in the medical community that the preservative is safe. Kennedy signed off on a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel he replaced with his own appointed members in June, to stop distributing vaccines containing thimerosal, which has long been targeted by anti-vaccine groups. An operatic honor for Melania Republican lawmakers are working on a Kennedy Center production of their own: renaming the center's Opera House to the 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.' The House Appropriations Committee, whose spending bill funds the iconic performing arts venue in Washington, voted 33-25 for the change. Lawmakers have already agreed to spend $256.7 million on improvements to the center sought by President Donald Trump, who ousted much of the Kennedy Center's board after he took office and appointed himself chairman. He has criticized some of the center's performances and said in one visit that he 'never liked 'Hamilton' very much.' A sweet twist to the Cola wars Cane sugar: It's the real thing. A Coca-Cola made with cane sugar − not high-fructose corn syrup − is coming to the United States this fall, the company announced, just like the Coke you find overseas, including Mexico. (The long-running debate over which tastes better, U.S. Coke or Mexican Coke, has been a fierce one). The news doesn't come as a compete surprise; President Donald Trump had made a case for cane sugar Coke on social media in mid-July − 'You'll see. It's just better!' Also, not to be outdone, Pepsi announced it is launching Pepsi Prebiotic Cola this fall, in Original Cola and Cherry Vanilla, containing 5 grams of cane sugar and 3 grams of prebiotic fiber. Ozzy Osbourne, the 'Prince of Darkness,' is dead The heavy metal world has lost one of its most beloved characters, Ozzy Osbourne, at age 76, only weeks after reuniting with his original band, Black Sabbath, in England for a farewell show. Osbourne, who was infamous for his hard living (and for biting the head off a bat), exploded into stardom in a solo career and later branched into reality TV with MTV's 'The Osbournes' in the early 2000s. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson's disease. In a just-announced new memoir, 'Last Rites,' arriving Oct. 7, Osbourne says: 'Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can't complain. I've been all around the world. … I've done good, and I've done bad. But right now, I'm not ready to go anywhere.' Remembering Ozzy Osbourne: Life on the 'Crazy Train': The metal icon through the years All bets for 2026 are on Scottie Scheffler Scottie Scheffler, fresh off a dominating win at the British Open July 20, is at the top of his game, and you can expect he'll be there for awhile. Scheffler, 29, who also captured the PGA Championship in May and now needs only a U.S. Open victory to enter the elite group of golfers who have won the sport's grand slam of all four major championships, is now the odds-on favorite to win every major in 2026, according to BetMGM. Declared the gaming venture's Matt Wall: 'The comparisons with Tiger Woods certainly don't look out of place right now.' − Compiled by Robert Abitbol This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A farewell to Ozzy, Coke's sugar high, the flu fight: Week in review
The Guardian
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
RFK Jr to remove preservative thimerosal from all US vaccines
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, will formally require vaccine makers to remove thimerosal from vaccines. The ingredient has been the target of anti-vaccine campaigns and misinformation for decades. Arguments against the preservative culminated in June, when a key federal vaccine advisory panel, remade with Kennedy's ideological allies, recommended against the preservative. The recommendation goes into force upon Kennedy's signature. There is no evidence thimerosal has caused harm, despite decades of use. The ethylmercury-based preservative was used in only about 5% adult influenza vaccines in the US, helping prevent contamination in multi-dose vials. '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 announcing the decision. 'Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility. Today, we put safety first,' said Kennedy. Thimerosal is an ethylmercury-based preservative – different from the kind of mercury found in seafood, called methylmercury. Ethylmercury has a shorter half-life in the body. The amount of ethylmercury contained in a flu vaccine (25 micrograms) is about half of that contained in a 3oz serving of canned tuna fish (40 micrograms). The preservative has been used in vaccines since before the second world war. It was controversially phased out of most childhood vaccines in 1999, physicians associations said as a precautionary measure, and was contained in only a very small number of adult vaccines. Phasing out the preservative in the early 2000s was criticized by experts who argued scientific evidence did not support its removal, that it sent mixed messages and that it provided a talking point for anti-vaccine campaigners. Indeed, the preservative was targeted for years to come. That criticism came to a head in June, after Kennedy fired all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory committee on immunization practices, a federal panel that was a critical link in the vaccine distribution pipeline. Kennedy replaced the experts with eight hand-picked allies, including one directly from the anti-vaccine movement. Eventually, one appointee dropped out after a conflict of interest review. The vaccine advisory panel voted in favor of removing thimerosal on a 5-1 vote (with one abstention) after a controversial presentation from Lyn Redwood, a former leader of World Mercury Project, the predecessor to Kennedy's group Children's Health Defense, itself a prolific anti-vaccine campaign group. Redwood's presentation had to be updated after it was found to contain a link to a study that did not exist. One of Kennedy's vaccine advisers said during the meeting that a presentation from career scientists at the CDC, which laid out thimerosal's safety, was pulled by the secretary's office. The director of the CDC is required to sign off on the vaccine advisory committee's recommendations. Because there is not presently a Senate-confirmed CDC director, Kennedy acts as head of the CDC. The decision to remove thimerosal from all vaccines in the US will also probably complicate the global picture for vaccine makers. 'With the US now removing mercury from all vaccines, we urge global health authorities to follow this prudent example for the protection of children worldwide,' Kennedy said.
New York Times
23-07-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Kennedy Rescinds Endorsements for Some Flu Vaccines
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday formally rescinded federal recommendations for all flu vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked to autism. The decision cements a move last month by vaccine advisers whom Mr. Kennedy named to the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices after abruptly firing all 17 previous members. After hearing a presentation by the former leader of an anti-vaccine group, the panel had voted to walk back federal recommendations for all flu vaccines containing thimerosal. The decision will not affect most Americans seeking flu vaccines: Thimerosal is added to multidose vials of flu vaccines to prevent bacteria from growing, but it is not an ingredient of the single-dose vials administered to most people. During the 2024-25 respiratory virus season, only 3 percent of children and 2 percent of older adults received flu vaccines containing thimerosal, according to an analysis of electronic health records by Truveta, a company that analyzes such records. Still, multidose vials are needed in places where it is difficult to store many vaccines, such as nursing homes or mobile clinics serving remote rural areas. Mr. Kennedy's sign-off does not withdraw vaccines containing thimerosal from the market. But his rescinding the federal recommendation means that 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,' Mr. Kennedy said in a statement. Vaccine manufacturers have confirmed that they have the capacity to replace multidose vials containing mercury, ensuring that vaccine supplies for children and adults will 'remain uninterrupted,' the Department for Health and Human Services 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 Defense, the anti-vaccine group founded by Mr. 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 5-1, with one abstention, to withdraw recommendations for flu vaccines containing thimerosal for children, pregnant women and other adults. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention typically accepts the recommendations of the committee. But the agency does not currently have a leader, and so the decision fell to Mr. Kennedy.
The Guardian
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
RFK Jr to remove preservative thimerosal from all US vaccines
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, will formally require vaccine makers to remove thimerosal from vaccines. The ingredient has been the target of anti-vaccine campaigns and misinformation for decades. Arguments against the preservative culminated in June, when a key federal vaccine advisory panel, remade with Kennedy's ideological allies, recommended against the preservative. The recommendation goes into force upon Kennedy's signature. There is no evidence thimerosal has caused harm, despite decades of use. The ethylmercury-based preservative was used in only about 5% adult influenza vaccines in the US, helping prevent contamination in multi-dose vials. '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 announcing the decision. 'Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility. Today, we put safety first,' said Kennedy. Thimerosal is an ethylmercury-based preservative – different from the kind of mercury found in seafood, called methylmercury. Ethylmercury has a shorter half-life in the body. The amount of ethylmercury contained in a flu vaccine (25 micrograms) is about half of that contained in a 3oz serving of canned tuna fish (40 micrograms). The preservative has been used in vaccines since before the second world war. It was controversially phased out of most childhood vaccines in 1999, physicians associations said as a precautionary measure, and was contained in only a very small number of adult vaccines. Phasing out the preservative in the early 2000s was criticized by experts who argued scientific evidence did not support its removal, that it sent mixed messages and that it provided a talking point for anti-vaccine campaigners. Indeed, the preservative was targeted for years to come. That criticism came to a head in June, after Kennedy fired all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory committee on immunization practices, a federal panel that was a critical link in the vaccine distribution pipeline. Kennedy replaced the experts with eight hand-picked allies, including one directly from the anti-vaccine movement. Eventually, one appointee dropped out after a conflict of interest review. The vaccine advisory panel voted in favor of removing thimerosal on a 5-1 vote (with one abstention) after a controversial presentation from Lyn Redwood, a former leader of World Mercury Project, the predecessor to Kennedy's group Children's Health Defense, itself a prolific anti-vaccine campaign group. Redwood's presentation had to be updated after it was found to contain a link to a study that did not exist. One of Kennedy's vaccine advisors said during the meeting that a presentation from career scientists at the CDC, which laid out thimerosal's safety, was pulled by the secretary's office. The director of the CDC is required to sign off on the vaccine advisory committee's recommendations. Because there is not presently a Senate-confirmed CDC director, Kennedy acts as head of the CDC. The decision to remove thimerosal from all vaccines in the US will also probably complicate the global picture for vaccine makers. 'With the US now removing mercury from all vaccines, we urge global health authorities to follow this prudent example for the protection of children worldwide,' Kennedy said.
