WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a decisive shift in federal vaccine policy, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has formally adopted a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to eliminate the mercury-based preservative thimerosal from all influenza vaccines distributed in the United States.
The move, signed into policy Tuesday, follows a 5-1-1 vote by ACIP in late June, which recommended that children, pregnant women, and adults receive only single-dose influenza vaccines that are free of mercury. Secretary Kennedy’s signature makes that recommendation federal health policy, effectively ending the use of thimerosal in U.S. vaccines after more than two decades of gradual phase-out efforts.
“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. “Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility.”
The removal of thimerosal began in 1999, when the U.S. Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics called for its elimination from childhood vaccines as a precautionary measure. While most vaccines had already transitioned to mercury-free formulations, multi-dose flu vaccines had remained an exception—until now.
According to HHS, vaccine manufacturers have confirmed that they can meet national demand using mercury-free, single-dose formulations, ensuring no disruption to the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program or adult vaccine supply chains.
The ACIP, made up of public health experts and clinicians, advises the CDC on vaccination standards. The June vote represents a significant departure from previous years of limited action, bringing U.S. immunization practices in line with countries that phased out mercury preservatives years ago.
“With the U.S. now removing mercury from all vaccines, we urge global health authorities to follow this prudent example for the protection of children worldwide,” Kennedy added.
This action marks the first ACIP recommendation signed into policy by Secretary Kennedy since his appointment. Other June recommendations remain under review.
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