U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks with Sens. Brook Rollins and Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS) ahead of the roundtable event as part of the “Much Health in America” (Maha) Agenda, Washington, DC, July 15th, 2025 “Maha) Agenda.
Kencedeno | Reuters
The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday said it would officially remove the mercury-based preservative thimeromonkey from all flu shots distributed to the United States despite no evidence of harm from ingredients.
There are still few jabs containing thimeromonkeys, but the move is a victory for the anti-vaccine movement that has been targeting the ingredients for a long time, eliminating vaccine options for Americans.
HHS’ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially adopted the June recommendation from a major government vaccine panel called the Advisory Committee on Vaccination Practices (Advisory Committee on ACIP) for shots of flu, including thimeromonkeys. Earlier that month, Kennedy broke the panel and repacked it along with new members, including the widely known anti-vaccine activists.
This decision will affect approximately 4% to 5% of the supply of the US influenza vaccine. It includes several multi-dose formats SanofiTwo shots of fluzone and Biotech Company CSL Seqirus. According to CDC data, flu shots across the country did not contain thimeromonkeys during last season of the virus.
The vaccine manufacturer has confirmed its ability to replace multidose vials containing mercury, HHS said. This ensures that adults’ flu vaccines and government programs that provide shots to uninsured and uninsured children are not suspended, the agency added.
Still, health experts say eliminating flu shots, including thimeromonkeys, as an option for Americans, could lead to fewer people receiving jabs.
This movement also reinforces the long-standing, unfounded fear that substances can lead to developmental disorders such as autism. Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism is in full circle with ACIP votes. Ten years before he stepped into his current role, he published a book calling for the removal of thimeromonkeys from the shot, linking it to developmental disorders.
“After more than 20 years of delay, this action fulfills a long and broad promise to protect our most vulnerable groups from unnecessary mercury exposure,” Kennedy said in the release, urging global health authorities to follow suit.
Over 40 studies over decades have found no association between thimeromonkeys and developmental delays. Thimeromonkeys have been widely used for decades as a preservative to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria in several drugs and vaccines with multiple doses.
The HHS said other recommendations from the panel meeting in June are still under review.
