In another news, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense will be speaking on thimerosal in flu vaccines at a meeting of the newly appointed vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The presenter is Lyn Redwood, who is a nurse practitioner with experience in pediatrics and family medicine. She has previously worked as president of the World Mercury Project in 2016, which expanded its mission two years layer to become Children's Health Defense. This was founded by the current US Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. What Is Thimerosal?It is a preservative that is used in vaccines to prevent any microbial growth. However, it was removed from most shots decades ago due to the concerns that it contains mercury. Many studies, including the CDC website also notes that: "Thimerosal is approximately 50% mercury (Hg) by weight. A 0.01% solution (1 part per 10,000) of thimerosal contains 50 µg (micrograms) of Hg per 1 mL dose or 25 µg of Hg per 0.5 mL dose."The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that vaccines contain ethylmercury, a different type of mercury, which can be cleared off a body easily and "does not pose a health risk". Whereas methylmercury is different, and as WHO notes, is found in some fish. However, it has not been linked to any neurodevelopment issues, including autism. Yet, it has become a key focus for groups of anti-vaxxers, who argue that vaccines are linked to autism. Why This Meeting Could Be Concerning?The decision to include a discussion and vote on thimerosal in flu vaccines at this week’s meeting has raised concerns within the public health community. Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, is no longer used in most flu vaccines for children, which now come in single-dose vials or prefilled syringes. However, it is still present in some multidose vials, which make up about 4% of flu vaccines administered in the U.S.Health experts worry that revisiting thimerosal — long the subject of debunked claims linking it to autism — could reignite misinformation. These concerns have intensified following Kennedy’s move to dismiss all 17 previous members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), replacing them with eight new members. Among the new appointees, two have served as expert witnesses in lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers, and another has falsely claimed that Covid-19 vaccines have led to deaths among young people.“I actually don’t know any pediatric practices that even use that multidose influenza vaccine,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Colorado and liaison to ACIP for the American Academy of Pediatrics, as reported by CNN.Redwood And History With VaccinesRedwood’s upcoming presentation to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee is an unusual move. Typically, presentations are made by members of ACIP working groups who have spent months reviewing and analyzing data on specific vaccine-related issues. In this case, the vote on thimerosal was added to the agenda just days ago, and it remains unclear what exactly the discussion and vote will cover regarding the preservative’s use in flu vaccines.Her involvement in vaccine debates has long centered on concerns about thimerosal and its alleged link to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism — a connection that has been thoroughly debunked by multiple studies. According to Children’s Health Defense, Redwood claimed in 1999 that her son had received 125 times the EPA’s recommended limit for mercury exposure through infant vaccines, which she believes led to his autism diagnosis. Since then, she has coauthored papers and testified before Congress on the issue.