Health

RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Backs Only Mercury-Free Flu Shots

Members of the CDC's Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices meet for the first time at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, on June 25. — Members of the CDC's Advisory Committee On Immunization Practices meet for the first time at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, on June 25.
Photographer: Ben Hendren/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Jessica Nix, Damian Garde, and Gerry Smith

June 26, 2025 at 12:18 PM UTC

Updated on

June 26, 2025 at 7:19 PM UTC

The overhauled US panel reviewing vaccine data backed the use of only thimerosal-free flu shots for Americans, taking aim at a little-used ingredient that has been falsely linked with autism despite decades of evidence showing it to be safe.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, voted five to one Thursday with one abstention in a move that would curtail use of larger vaccine vials that use the preservative.