(WXYZ) — In today’s Health Alert, a major change in flu vaccine guidance. The new CDC advisory panel is recommending that most Americans avoid shots containing a mercury-based preservative.
The panel voted to drop thimerosal from flu vaccines.
This is a big shift, even though it affects a small portion of flu shots. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative used in multi-dose vials to prevent contamination. It’s been used safely for decades and is found in less than 5% of flu vaccines in the U.S.
Now, when thimerosal enters the body, it breaks down into ethylmercury. Ethylmercury leaves the body fairly quickly and hasn’t been linked to serious health issues. It’s very different from methylmercury, which is the kind found in fish. Methylmercury is a known neurotoxin and is harmful in high doses.
Despite this, fears about mercury and autism started to spread. Then, in 2001, thimerosal was removed from vaccines used for American children aged 6 years and younger. This happened not because it was proven dangerous, but as a precaution. Over the years, dozens of studies have shown that thimerosal does not cause autism. Still, some anti-vaccine groups continue to spread that misinformation.
The new vaccine panel says even the fear of thimerosal might keep people from getting a flu shot, so they want to recommend thimerosal-free vaccines only.
The panel is recommending only thimerosal-free options - that means single-dose shots and the nasal spray FluMist. It would rule out the multi-dose vials that contain thimerosal, even though there’s no solid evidence they’re harmful. There’s concern that removing thimerosal might send the wrong message - like it was dangerous all along, when it’s not. And it could also make it harder for some clinics to offer the vaccine, since multi-dose vials are cheaper and easier to store.
As for the risk of flu, yes, it is much greater than any risk from thimerosal. The flu can lead to serious complications, hospitalizations, and even death, especially in kids, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Just last flu season, we saw 250 pediatric deaths, one of the deadliest years for kids in over a decade.
The good news is, the panel still recommends that nearly everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot each year. That’s because the flu vaccine saves lives. And the protection it gives far outweighs any fear that isn’t supported by science.
This Week on the Dr. Nandi Show
Too many of us are eating our way to health problems and early graves. Dr. Shelly Sethi reveals hidden ingredients in fast food and explains why we should be cooking in the kitchen. A guest says butter and other fats are the secret to weight loss and mental clarity. Heart Doctor Joel Kahn, MD reveals which dairy foods to ditch so you can avoid chronic disease. Nutritionist Teri Cochrane transformed thousands of lives and explains her radical back-to-basics lifestyle plan. And Ann Louise Gittleman, an Expert and Author of 30 books on diet, shares what to put on our plates for the sake of our health. Tune in this Saturday, June 28th at Noon to watch “Eat Yourself Healthy”.
