Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 26 advised the agency to stop recommending influenza vaccines containing a mercury-based preservative.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in a series of votes reaffirmed the existing recommendation that all individuals aged at least 6 months of age receive an annual influenza shot, but said that individuals should only receive thimerosal-free vaccines.
About 95 percent of influenza vaccines administered in the United States in late 2024 and early 2025 were free of thimerosal, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Tracy Hoeg, an FDA official, told the committee that there appear to be enough influenza vaccine doses without thimerosal for the upcoming virus season, which runs from the fall into the winter….