ASAN Troubled by Secretary Kennedy’s Comments and HHS’ Adoption of ACIP Recommendations on Thimerosal

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is troubled by the Department of Health and Human Services’ adoption of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation to prevent the use of multi-dose vials for influenza vaccination and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s comments on thimerosal. It perpetuates old, debunked theories on the safety of vaccines that undermines the trust in established, thoroughly and well conducted science. It also endangers influenza vaccine access in countries that lack the resources to safely store an adequate amount of single-dose vial influenza vaccines.

In early June, the seventeen members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) were fired from the committee by Secretary Kennedy. Kennedy later handpicked eight replacement members and on June 25th and June 26th, 2025 the newly appointed members of the met for the first time. The meeting covered a range of topics including a presentation by Lyn Redwood on the vaccine preservative thimerosal. Redwood was the former President of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit organization started by RFK Jr. known for spreading anti-vaccine beliefs. Redwood’s presentation cited studies with findings with weak correlations and could not be replicated when studied again. An earlier version of her presentation cited a study that does not exist. The presentation and Redwood’ statements at the meeting included misleading information about ethylmercury, one of the compounds thimerosal is turned into in the body. Ethylmercury is safely and quickly removed from the body in stool, unlike methylmercury which is toxic in high amounts. We know this because of the dozens of studies done on thimerosal in the past three decades after advocates like Lyn Redwood believed it causes autism. Thimerosal does not cause autism.

At the end of the meeting on June 26th, the members of ACIP voted to only approve single-dose influenza vaccines for children, pregnant women, and adults for the 2025-2026 flu season. This means no approval for any flu vaccine that contains thimerosal. Only one member of the panel voted against this decision with another member abstaining, the rest voted in favor. We know less about potential alternatives to thimerosal and how they would react with flu vaccine ingredients than we do about thimerosal. This decision effectively will prevent the use of multi-dose vial influenza vaccines and their coverage by insurance. Multi-dose vial influenza vaccines primarily serve populations in areas where mass refrigeration and refrigerated transportation is cost-prohibitive or not possible. Vaccine manufacturers currently estimate they can meet demand for the 2025-2026 flu season in the United States with single-dose vial influenza vaccines, but not internationally. This is because ACIP recommendations are used internationally for vaccine safety decisions. We hope the domestic estimate of the vaccine manufacturers is accurate and we do not see a drop-off in vaccination rates, but internationally, it is clear more people will get the flu and die in the lowest-income areas around the world because of this decision. We believe this demonstrates a lack of responsibility and scientific knowledge among the ACIP members who voted in favor of only approving single-dose vials.

In the absence of a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) director, Secretary Kennedy personally approved these recommendations on July 23rd, 2025. Notably, Kennedy did not approve or deny any of the other ACIP recommendations voted on during that meeting, including approval of the strains for the 2025-2026 flu season. This has rightfully received backlash from medical and vaccine safety professionals and advocates. This led to HHS releasing a promotional video with Secretary Kennedy on August 2nd. Kennedy repeated several misinformation about thimerosal, including linking it to autism. The words and actions of Secretary Kennedy demonstrate a complete and total disregard for scientific integrity and the truth. It directly contradicts the known science still shared by the CDC. Fostering an illusion by falsely validating decades-long conspiracy theories will damage scientific trust, especially in vaccines, for years to come. We are deeply concerned by this repeated pattern of behavior and fear the continued spread of lies about the cause of autism in the next Make America Healthy Again Commission Report and future initiatives. Secretary Kennedy should resign or be removed as Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

Until there are members of ACIP and a Secretary of Health and Human Services that will make decisions based on sound scientific evidence, there is a desperate need for reliable sources on scientific, medical, and public health information. We appreciate the efforts being taken by the American Academy of Pediatrics and call on other professional organizations to do the same. Similarly, we call on state governments to provide resources and share accurate scientific, medical, and public health information in the absence of the federal government.

Words to know 

Adopted – When part of the government makes new rules based on advice from other government groups. For example, HHS adopted ideas from ACIP.

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – a group of vaccine experts who help the government make choices about vaccines. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is called ACIP for short.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – the part of the federal government that makes many choices about health care in the United States. The Department of Health and Human services makes choices about vaccines. The Department of Health and Human Services is called HHS for short. 

Dose – one shot of a vaccine.

Evidence – a type of fact that shows something is true.

Federal government – the government for the whole United States.

Flu – a disease that can make people very sick or even kill people. Scientists sometimes call the flu ‘influenza’. 

Multi-dose vaccines – Big tubes of vaccines. These tubes have enough of the vaccine to give to more than one person. 

Preservatives – ingredients that help vaccines stay safe to use for a longer time.

Single-dose vaccines – Small tubes of vaccines. These tubes only have enough of the vaccine to give to one person. 

Sources – people or groups who share information. 

Thimerosal – an ingredient that helps vaccines stay safe to use for a longer time. Thimerosal is only used in some kinds of flu vaccines.

Vaccines – shots doctors give people to keep people from getting sick.

What is this statement? 

This statement is about vaccines. Vaccines are shots doctors give people to keep people from getting sick. In the past few weeks, part of the federal government made some choices about vaccines. The federal government is the government for the whole United States. The rest of this statement will explain the choices part of the federal government is making about vaccines. 

Why does ASAN care about vaccines?

Vaccines help keep people from getting sick. Some people think that vaccines cause autism. This is not true! The idea that vaccines cause autism came from a study with fake evidence. Evidence is a type of fact that shows something is true. For thirty years, scientists have done many studies that show vaccines do not cause autism.

But because some people think vaccines cause autism, they want to make changes to vaccines. These changes would make it harder for people to get vaccines. Some people who think this way got chosen to help the federal government make choices about vaccines. ASAN wants to make sure that the federal government makes good choices about vaccines. ASAN wants to make sure the federal government makes choices about vaccines that are based on facts. 

What is the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)?

The part of the federal government that makes choices about vaccines is the Department of Health and Human Services. The Department of Health and Human Services is called HHS for short. 

HHS gets advice from vaccine experts to make their choices about vaccines. These vaccine experts work together on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is called ACIP for short. ACIP has meetings where members vote on what advice they will give to HHS about vaccines. The advice can be about the ingredients in vaccines. The advice can be about who should get certain kinds of vaccines. 

What are ACIP and HHS doing with vaccines right now?

ACIP had a meeting in June. At the meeting, ACIP members voted on rules about a flu vaccine ingredient called thimerosal. Thimerosal is an ingredient that helps vaccines stay safe to use for a longer time. Ingredients that help vaccines stay safe to use for a longer time are called preservatives. Thimerosal is only used in some kinds of vaccines for the flu. The flu is a disease that can make people very sick and even kill people. 

Some people said that thimerosal can cause autism. But no evidence from studies has ever shown that thimerosal causes autism. Studies have shown many times that thimerosal in flu vaccines does not cause autism. The studies also show that thimerosal in flu vaccines does not hurt people’s brains. There are a lot of studies showing that thimerosal does not hurt people at all.

But some ACIP members still do not want flu vaccines to have thimerosal. The ACIP had a vote in June about whether or not to keep using thimerosal in vaccines. Their vote said that ACIP thought people should not get vaccines that have thimerosal.

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adopted ACIP’s advice. Adopted means that HHS will use ACIP’s advice to make rules about vaccines. That means HHS will make rules that only let people get vaccines that do not have thimerosal.

How will ACIP and HHS’s choices about vaccines affect people?

It will be harder for people to get vaccines 

ACIP and HHS’s choices about vaccines will make it harder for some people to get vaccines. This is because getting rid of thimerosal in vaccines means that doctors cannot give people some kinds of vaccines. 

Thimerosal is only an ingredient in multi-dose vaccines for the flu. Multi-dose vaccines are big tubes of vaccines. They have enough of the vaccine to give to more than one person. You can think of multi-dose vaccines like a cake. The cake is big enough for more than one person to get a slice. Each slice is one dose. A dose is one shot of a vaccine.

Single-dose vaccines are small tubes of vaccines. They only have enough of the vaccine to give to one person. You can think of single-dose vaccines like a cupcake. The cupcake is only big enough for one person to have. Each cupcake is one dose.

Getting rid of thimerosal means getting rid of some kinds of multi-dose flu vaccines. Getting rid of multi-dose flu vaccines means some people will not be able to get flu vaccines. The people who will not be able to get flu vaccines live in countries outside of the U.S.

ACIP’s choices about vaccines affect people in other countries. Other countries follow ACIP’s advice about vaccines even though ACIP is based in the United States. In the United States, only about 5% of flu vaccines have thimerosal as an ingredient. But in some other countries, a lot more flu vaccines have thimerosal as an ingredient. Multi-dose flu vaccines are the only kind of flu vaccine people can get in some other countries. People all over the world who want to get vaccines should be able to get vaccines. Vaccines are an important part of keeping people from getting sick. 

People might not trust HHS for information about vaccines

HHS has shared information about vaccines for a long time. Many people look at the HHS website and other resources to learn about vaccines. But now, HHS is making a bad choice about vaccines. The bad choice about vaccines is based on information that is not true. People might not trust HHS for information about vaccines because of this bad choice. 

It would be really bad if people do not trust HHS to give them correct information about vaccines. It would mean that people might not listen to HHS about other important health issues. They might not listen even if HHS shares information that is true. Some people might believe the things HHS says that are not true. They might make decisions that hurt their health from listening to information that is not true.

The person in charge of HHS is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is called RFK for short. On August 2nd, HHS posted a video of RFK talking about thimerosal. RFK said a lot of things in the video that are not true. In the video, RFK said over and over again that thimerosal in flu vaccines hurts people’s bodies and brains. But many scientists have proven that thimerosal in flu vaccines does not hurt people. The American Academy of Pediatrics posted a short video that explains this. You can watch the video here.

HHS should share information about vaccines that is based on facts. The information HHS is sharing about thimerosal is not based on facts. We think RFK should resign because he says things about vaccines and autism not based on facts. You can read another plain language statement ASAN wrote about RFK here. We need sources we can trust to share information about vaccines, health, and medicine. Sources are people or groups who share information. 

We think state governments should spend time and money to make sure the information they share is true. We think other organizations who work on medicine and vaccines should only share information about vaccines and autism that is true. We appreciate the American Academy of Pediatrics because they share true information about vaccines. It is important for people to be able to get information about vaccines and autism that they can trust.