(Reuters) -The external committee advising the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy voted that all adults in the country receive a seasonal flu shot in single-dose forms that are free from mercury-based preservative thimerosal. The panel voted five-to-one in favor of the recommendation, while one member abstained from voting, following a […]
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US CDC panel broadly recommends flu shots free from thimerosal
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(Reuters) -The external committee advising the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy voted that all adults in the country receive a seasonal flu shot in single-dose forms that are free from mercury-based preservative thimerosal.
The panel voted five-to-one in favor of the recommendation, while one member abstained from voting, following a presentation by an anti-vaccine advocate that made the case that thimerosal is a neurotoxin.
The panel recommended that pregnant women and children aged 6 months or younger also receive thimerosal-free shots.
The CDC has previously said there is no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal used in vaccines, except for minor reactions such as redness and swelling at the injection site.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh and Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)