If Thimerosal Is Safe, Why Is It Being Removed From Vaccines?

There is a committee of newly appointed experts in the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was recently chosen by US Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Junior, called on the Consultative Committee for Evidence practices, determines the fortification schedule for the Americans. Some new members have a history of vaccines.

On June 26, this committee voted Remove Thimrosal of influenza vaccines. The component has always been a target for anti -baccalaureate activists, although many studies show that they are safe in small quantities.

The committee’s recommendation now goes to the director of representation at the Disease Control Center to become an official recommendation. (Susan Monares, President Trump’s choice of the agency’s presidency, is currently undergoing confirmation sessions).

Here is how Thimerosal entered the vaccines, and why it is taken out, and what it might mean the latest recommendation in influenza shots next season.

What is thimrosal?

Thimosal, which contains a form of mercury, is called mercury ethyl, in vaccines as a file Preservative Since the thirties of the twentieth century to prevent the growth of fungi and bacteria. At that time, most vaccines came in larger flasks containing multiple doses, and while vaccine makers produced a sterile and safe product, “every time a needle penetrates [into the vial] “While the vaccine itself was safe, the bottles were contaminated, and there were deaths from the infection,” says Dr. Jason Goldman, head of the American College of Doctors. The decision was taken to put a preservative in it. “

This portfolio – similar – routinely used in vaccines until 2001, when federal health officials decided to remove it from most of the childhood vaccines. It is currently used only in influenza vaccines that come in multi -dose bottles. (Most influenza vaccines in the United States come at a single dose that does not contain thymeosal.)

Is Thimosal safe?

Ethael mercury is It was cleared of the body more quickly From methyl mercury, which is found primarily in fish in the depths of the seas such as tuna. Both types of mercury can be toxic to the cells, especially in the brain, but the worst ethyl mercury has less time to cause this damage, According to the Center for Anti -Tennis and Combating.

Read more: Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

“The data of many studies does not show any evidence of the damage caused by low doses of thymeosal in vaccines,” says the site of the Disease Control Center. This includes studies that looked at A variety of nervous and psychological resultsBesides unite. However, the researchers say in the long run Data On the health effects of exposure to both types of mercury are not completely clear yet.

If Thimosal is safe, then why have health officials removed it once?

In 2001, federal health officials decided to remove the thymeosal from most of the childhood vaccines, which at that time included influenza, diphtheria, tetanus, pertish coughs, and hepatitis B.

There is a number of reasons for the decision decision at that time – most of them have more related to politics and optics more than concerns about health damage, “says Dr. Paul Ofit, a member of the Consultative Committee for Evidence practices at that time. In early 1998, Andrew WickfieldThe UK’s digestive doctor had published a paper in which he tied a mmr vaccine with measles, mumps and measles with an increase in the risk of autism. since then a statement And his medical license was EliminateBut the results of its findings sparked the anti -action movement that continues today, despite the evidence that vaccines have saved lives and provide greater benefit than harm.

After Wickfield paper gained a bad reputation, a member of the US Congress asked for a disease control center experts to review data and vote, as Wickfield suggested, the three -disease vaccines must be separated and given individually to reduce any potential damage to the infants. “It was not headquartered in science and” around the table, our voice is “no.”

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After a few months, the vaccine maker Wither decided to remove Rotashield, the first vaccine to protect from the Rota virus, from the market – only 10 months after its approval. The vaccine has been linked to the rare intestine in some of the children who received it in the first six months. The withdrawal understood understandly to the public’s concerns about the safety of vaccines.

So when issues about the potential risks of mercury appeared in Thimrosal, this is partly due to the Wikfield paper, OFIT says the committee has faced the treatment of the growing anxiety of Americans that federal health agencies did not guarantee the safety of vaccines adequately. “We had a vaccine that was approved and then took off from the market,” says Ofit. The leader of the committee, as well as the members, “were aware of the fact that it seemed that he did not notice the safety of the vaccine, or that we did not care. Because we agreed to Rotashild, and we did not listen to Andrew and Wickfield.”

“What I understand is that at that time, there was no evidence of any harm from themeosal,” says Dr. Sean Olyeri, Chairman of the Infectious Diseases Committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics. “But the concern was that it may not have been studied, as we wish. And since we have technology to remove it from the childhood vaccine schedule, we must go forward and do that. But many people questioned this decision.”

One of them was Offit, who could not remember if there was actual vote, but he says he would have voted against the removal of Thimosal if there was one. Nothing has changed from vaccine makeup-only the formula to taste it in sterile handicapped. “It was an anti -science step,” he says. “He did nothing to make vaccines safer – all we did is to make them more expensive. We did not explain ourselves. We did not trust the American audience to understand the nuances.”

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As a result, the decision to remove the thymeosal was explained by many in the public, including the anti -vaccine activists, as a recognition that themesal was unsafe and taxes. “If you give birth to this decision,” OFIT says, “I gave birth to two vaccine combat groups – parties against mercury and rescue. Anyone who was thinking was thinking, “Why did I get it out greatly unless there is a problem?”

Because of this decision, only about 3 % to 4 % of influenza vaccines in the United States that come in multi -dose bottles contain thymeosal. These large vials are often used in rural settings and low resources because they are less expensive than syncling. Most children who have been immunized in the offices of pediatricians for decades are not now exposed to aimerosal. “I don’t know any children’s practices that use multiple dose bottles,” says Olieri. “It is somewhat unfamiliar. Even if pediatricians use multiple dose bottles, it is not an issue because it is safe. This is a very clear effort to highlight this vaccine cup, the thymeosal is somewhat dangerous.”

Why did Thimrosal discuss the last meeting of the Center for Disease Control?

What is related to health experts on the new recommendation is that the regular protocols governing the agenda of the CDC committee and presentations have not been followed. Kennedy, a long vaccine, oversees the center of diseases control and in June replacing All the 17 former members of the fortification committee with Eight new membersAnd many of them lack experience in vaccines and immunity. Dr. Cody Maysar, a faculty member at the Faculty of Medicine at Dartmouth Giselle College, is the only pediatrician in the committee, and he also served in the Echo Committee experts in the US Food and Drug Administration. He was Committee member only to vote against The suggestion of removing thymeosal from influenza vaccines, and told other members, “Among all the issues that ACIP needs to focus on, this is not a big problem.”

“The real question is, why was this even raised?” Goldman says. “The thymeosal question has been asked and answered several times. We are not only re -unification of the problem, but now, instead of a marginal group that refuses to accept evidence, they are now decision makers.”

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The CDC Committee includes members of experts from professional organizations who add experience and perspective to discussions, but they do not vote. Many of these groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, decided not to attend the last committee meeting in protest against the launch of the former members.

“We have made a decision that this was an illegal meeting because of the way the secretary refused all the 17 members who were highly qualified, and people who are handcrafted are a mixture of Covid-19 contradictions and people opposed to the explicit restless.” “We decided not to legalize the process with our presence.”

The time of experts spoke about the recent decision that the Disease Control Center published a description and references to the studies that supported the safety of Thimerosal in the vaccines, but was removed from the agency’s website before the committee meeting. “I am very anxious that this committee will do its best to undermine the schedule of vaccines and the confidence of the public in science and data,” says Goldman. “If this happens, the vaccines are no longer appropriately recommended, this will increase infections and deaths and the entire public health system endangered.”

How long will it take the thymeosal from all influenza vaccines?

O’Leary says, the recommendation is “unprecedented”, and therefore it is not clear the time that manufacturers will have to comply with, or what happens to the current vials that have already been purchased and stored for the next influenza season, since they have been legally approved. It is also not clear how insurance companies will treat change, and whether they will continue to cover influenza shots of multi -doses that contain thymerosal, which are often used in low resource settings.

“There are a very small number of our doses provided in the United States that contains themesal. We are now waiting for the decision of the center of road control control forward,” said a spokesman for Sanofi Pasteur, one of the largest influenza vaccine makers in the United States.

Will this affect my ability to get a influenza shot in the fall?

It is not yet clear what the recommendation effect, if adopted, on vaccine supplies, although the bulk of influenza shots do not currently contain thimrosal, the number of available doses should not be affected. Sanofi’s spokesperson expected that “we will have enough supplies from the Sanofi Plugiv vaccine to support customer preferences for this season.”