In a significant move from the Trump administration, newly appointed vaccine advisers have thrown their support behind flu vaccinations for nearly all Americans this autumn, providing they utilize certain vaccines without a component mistakenly linked to autism by some antivaccine groups. The typically procedural endorsement was scrutinized heavily following the unexpected dismissal of the 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who replaced them with several vaccine skeptics.
Breaking from tradition, the seven-member panel reviewed the safety of thimerosal, a preservative used in less than 5% of U.S. flu shots, basing their deliberations solely on input from a former leader of an antivaccine group. This session notably omitted the customary public presentation of scientific data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thimerosal, used in multi-dose vaccine vials to prevent contamination, contains a trace amount of mercury. Despite extensive research showing no link between thimerosal and autism, since 2001, vaccines for children under six have predominantly moved to thimerosal-free versions, including most flu vaccines.
The committee initially voted, with one abstention, to uphold the standard recommendation that almost everyone over six months of age receive an annual flu shot. Subsequently, they voted 5-1, with an abstention, to suggest people exclusively receive vaccines from single-dose, thimerosal-free vials, including the FluMist nasal spray, effectively eliminating the use of multi-dose vial flu shots. Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, an ex-member of the National Institutes of Health, highlighted the absence of evidence showing harm from thimerosal but stressed the importance of respecting public concerns about mercury, which may deter people from vaccination.
Recommendations from the advisory committee guide the CDC on who should receive vaccinations and when, influencing insurance coverage and vaccine availability. Currently, CDC director nominee Susan Monarez awaits Senate confirmation, leaving the decision to Kennedy. Criticisms have arisen from medical groups regarding the lack of transparency after the committee blocked a CDC report claiming no link between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. This report, initially posted online, was later removed because it wasn’t cleared by Kennedy’s office but had reportedly been read by committee members.
Though the debate affected a small fraction of flu vaccines, public health officials argue it is unnecessary and risks undermining public confidence in vaccines, already a concern with less than half of Americans receiving annual flu shots. Dr. Sean O’Leary from the American Academy of Pediatrics condemned the exclusion of scientific data, accusing the new panelists of acting non-scientifically and without transparency, thereby fostering misinformation.
The panel’s decision followed a meeting that stirred concerns among pediatricians and medical professionals, who questioned the new members’ expertise in vaccine safety surveillance and their leanings towards antivaccine narratives. Dr. Jason Goldman from the American College of Physicians criticized the lack of empirical debate around the national vaccine schedule, portraying it as an orchestrated attempt to discredit the established safety and efficacy of vaccines.
Particularly troubling was Martin Kulldorff’s intention to reevaluate the children’s vaccine schedule, referencing an unfounded theory that excessive vaccinations overwhelm young immune systems. Yet, experts point out that improved vaccine technology means children today encounter fewer immune-activating antigens than previous generations despite receiving more shots. Pediatrician and U.S. Representative Kim Schrier emphasized that children are exposed to more antigens in one day at daycare than from all their vaccines combined.
In other sessions, the panel endorsed a new protection against RSV for infants, recommending a newly approved antibody shot from Merck to be used alongside existing treatments. Discussions also touched on whether hepatitis B vaccinations are necessary for newborns with uninfected mothers, as pediatricians emphasize numerous other transmission pathways. Moreover, Kennedy bypassed the advisory panel by announcing that the COVID-19 vaccine is no longer recommended for healthy children or pregnant women, despite CDC claims supporting pregnancy vaccines as optimal protection and data indicating most hospitalized children with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. Some advisers questioned the reliability of the CDC’s extensive safety tracking.