HHS to remove thimerosal from all influenza vaccines in the US

HHS to remove thimerosal from all influenza vaccines in the US | Image Credit: © JJHVEPhoto - © JHVEPhoto - stock.adobe.com.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has adopted recommendations to remove thimerosal from all influenza vaccines distributed throughout the country, as recommended by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June.¹

According to a press release from the HHS, the adoption followed 5 "yes," 1 "no," and 1 "abstain" votes to recommend that individuals 18 years or younger receive seasonal influenza vaccines only in single-dose formulations that are free of thimerosal as a preservative.^1,2

In a second vote related to thimerosal, the ACIP voted, with 5 "yes," 1 "no," and 1 "abstain," to recommend pregnant women receive seasonal influenza vaccines only in single-dose formulations that are free of thimerosal as a preservative.²

According to the HHS, vaccine manufacturers have "confirmed they have the capacity to replace multidose vials containing mercury, ensuring the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and adult vaccine supplies will remain uninterrupted," the press release stated.¹

“After more than 2 decades of delay, this action fulfills a long-overdue promise to protect our most vulnerable populations from unnecessary mercury exposure,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said in a statement. “Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility. Today, we put safety first.”

Regarding routine, annual influenza vaccination for all persons 6 months or older who do not have contraindications, the ACIP reaffirmed this recommendation by a vote of 6 "yes" and 1 "abstain" for the 2025-2026 influenza season.²

In the June 25-26, 2025, meeting, the ACIP also voted 5-2 to recommend clesrovimab (Enflonsia; Merck), which was approved by the FDA on June 9, 2025, for infants 8 months or younger who are not protected by a maternal vaccine, according to a national news report from ABC News.

Additionally, the committee voted in unanimous fashion to update the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program to include details of clesrovimab, as approximately half of children in the United States are eligible for low-cost or free vaccines, according to ABC.

RELATED: AAP liaisons not participating in ACIP meeting

Outside the adoption of the influenza thimerosal removal, the HHS stated other recommendations (listed above) from the June meeting continue to be under review.¹

April ACIP recommendations approved

In the statement, the HHS stated that Secretary Kennedy approved all recommendations from the April ACIP meeting.¹ These recommendations included, by a 15-0 vote, that individuals 10 years or older receive a single dose of Penmenvy as an alternative to separate dose administration of meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y and serogroup B vaccinations when both vaccines would be given at the same clinical visit, typically at age 16.³

Click here for more on the April 2025 recommendations from the ACIP.

Medical societies sued HHS, Kennedy

The adopted recommendations announced this week follow the lawsuit filed by many medical societies on July 7, 2025, against Kennedy and the HHS, which was an effort to defend vaccine policy, the societies stated, amid recent changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and the removal of members from the CDC's ACIP.⁴

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Massachusetts Public Health Alliance, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and a pregnant physician announced the lawsuit via a joint press release on July 7, 2025.

In the announcement, the joint societies reference the CDC's May 27, 2025, pulling of its recommendation for routine COVID-19 vaccination among healthy individuals and pregnant women.

Kennedy took to the social media platform X to announce that he "couldn't be more pleased to announce that, as of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule."²

Regarding the lawsuit, Contemporary Pediatrics Editor in Chief Tina Tan, MD, FIDSA, FPIDS, FAAP, who is also the Infectious Diseases Society of America's president, stated, "The [IDSA] will fight to ensure that all individuals of every age have access to lifesaving vaccines. We will not stand by while a single federal official unilaterally and effectively strips Americans of their choice to vaccinate with actions that thoroughly disregard overwhelming scientific evidence and decades of established federal processes. As a community of clinicians, public health officials, and scientists, our focus remains the protection of patients and public health.”

Click here for more on the lawsuit.

References

1. HHS adopts ACIP recommendation to remove thimerosal from all U.S. influenza vaccines. Press release. US Department of Health and Human Services. July 23, 2025. Accessed July 24, 2025. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/thimerosal-mercury-removed-from-us-flu-vaccines-acip.html
2. Fitch J. ACIP updates: committee recommends clesrovimab for RSV, reaffirms routine influenza vaccination. Contemporary Pediatrics. June 26, 2025. Accessed July 24, 2025. https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/acip-updates-committee-votes-5-2-to-recommend-clesrovimab-to-protect-against-rsv
3. Fitch J. ACIP votes in favor of recently FDA approved vaccines for meningococcal disease, chikungunya. Contemporary Pediatrics. April 17, 2025. Accessed July 24, 2025. https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/acip-votes-in-favor-of-recently-fda-approved-vaccines-for-meningococcal-disease-chikungunya
4. Fitch J. AAP, other medical societies sue HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine practices. Contemporary Pediatrics. July 7, 2025. Accessed July 24, 2025. https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/aap-other-medical-societies-sue-hhs-robert-f-kennedy-jr-over-vaccine-practices