THE U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a report on Tuesday that said evidence does not support a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders, ahead of a two-day meeting of an advisory panel later this week.
The report was posted on the agency’s website on Tuesday, along with some presentations and the final agenda of the meeting, which is scheduled for June 25 and 26.
The meeting will be the panel’s first after health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. abruptly fired all 17 members of the independent committee of experts on vaccines, and replaced them with just eight new members, some of whom have previously advocated against vaccines.
Last week, a draft agenda for the meeting was posted, indicating it was adding two new issues for discussion, thimerosal in flu shots and a safety review of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella shot.
Lyn Redwood, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, is set to make a presentation on flu vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal at the meeting on Thursday.
Redwood’s presentation includes a review of thimerosal’s use over the last century and argues why it was not effective as a preservative.
The summary of the presentation suggested that there are enough thimerosal-free flu vaccines and all pregnant women, infants and children should receive only those shots. It was not clear if the new advisory panel would be asked to vote on such a move.
The CDC’s briefing material posted on Tuesday reviewed some studies on neurodevelopmental outcomes and vaccines that contain thimerosal, which has long been used in the U.S. in multi-dose vials of medicines and vaccines to prevent germs from growing in them.
According to the CDC report, 96% of all influenza vaccines in the U.S. were thimerosal free during the 2024-25 flu season. It also added that the number of pregnant women receiving a thimerosal-containing flu vaccine has decreased over time, with only 0.3% of doses given in 2024 containing thimerosal.
Kennedy, who founded the Children’s Health Defense and has a long history of casting doubt on the safety of vaccines contrary to scientific evidence, wrote a book in 2014 claiming that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, causes brain damage.
On Monday, Senator Bill Cassidy, who heads the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), called for the meeting to be delayed, saying it should not take place with a relatively small panel and without a CDC director in place.
Senator Patty Murray, a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, has also called for the fired panel members to be reinstated or the meeting be delayed until new members are appropriately vetted. (
