All U.S. flu shots go mercury-free after RFK Jr. signs thimerosal ban into law. New doses roll out in August.

On July 23, 2025, the U.S. government officially shut the door on thimerosal. The mercury-based compound, once common in multi-dose flu vials, is now absent from every influenza injection distributed nationwide. The decision followed a 5–1–1 vote from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, ending over two decades of phaseout efforts dating back to 1999.

The policy signature came directly from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility,” he said. That’s no fringe opinion anymore. Starting with the 2025–2026 season, all flu shots administered in the U.S. regardless of recipient age or clinical setting, must be single-dose and mercury-free. Bulk vials using thimerosal for microbial prevention are off the table.

Only 4% to 5% of flu vaccines still contained thimerosal prior to the shift, primarily distributed by Sanofi and CSL Seqirus. That last batch relied on it to stabilize multi-dose formats. Both manufacturers told CDC staff they’re able to meet full national demand without supply disruptions using mercury-free alternatives.

It’s a standards match. Europe moved on years ago. The U.S. now joins countries that removed thimerosal entirely from seasonal flu inventory, aligning domestic protocol with long-standing global benchmarks.

The timeline was tight. Panel review occurred in late June, public comment closed July 12, and Kennedy signed the directive on the 23rd. Distribution of thimerosal-free flu shots begins in August. Doses will be available across state-run clinics, pharmacies, and insurers under the current vaccine purchasing agreement, priced unchanged from last year’s reimbursement rate.

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/thimerosal-mercury-removed-from-us-flu-vaccines-acip.html

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2025/07/23/CDC-removes-thimerosol-all-flu-vaccines-Kennedy-signs/6411753301006

https://www.benzinga.com/news/health-care/25/07/46608478/vaccine-skeptic-rfk-jr-finalizes-ban-on-mercury-based-thimerosal-in-us-flu-vaccines

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2025-07-23/us-ends-use-of-flu-shots-with-thimerosal-in-latest-move-by-health-secretary-kennedy

Mercury was supposedly removed from childhood vaxxes but that wasn’t true. So, I’m skeptical it’ll actually be removed from flu shots. Mercury and Aluminum have a synergistic negative effect- and this was known in the 1990s and probably a lot earlier (see the “Vaccine Papers” book by Janine Roberts).

https://sharylattkisson.com/2025/03/special-investigation-govt-deception-over-thimerosal-in-vaccines-linked-to-neurodevelopmental-harm-in-children/

h/t UniversalSurvivalist