Mercury to be removed from vaccines
NEW YORK, Jul 08, 1999 (Reuters Health) -- The US Public Health Service
(PHS) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have asked vaccine
manufacturers to phase out a mercury-containing preservative that has been
used in some vaccines since the 1940s.
The preservative, thimerosal, has not been shown to harm children, but some
infants under age 6 months may be exposed to mercury levels in excess of
federal guidelines with the current recommended immunization schedule.
However, ``children who have received thimerosal-containing vaccines do not
need to be tested for mercury exposure,'' according to a joint AAP/PHS
statement.
Health officials advise parents to continue their children's immunization
programs, because the risk of not immunizing children far outweighs the
small risk posed by thimerosal.
``Terrible childhood diseases like whooping cough, bacterial meningitis,
polio and diphtheria are waiting for us to let our guard down,'' according
to a statement issued by Dr. David Satcher, the US. Surgeon General. ``The
risk of devastating childhood diseases from failure to vaccinate far
outweighs the minimal, if any, risk of exposure to cumulative levels of
mercury in vaccines.''
The joint AAP/PHS statement on thimerosal in vaccines appears in the July
9th Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the weekly publication of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Stories from the MMWR are available at the CDC website, www.cdc.gov.
The report's authors note that European regulatory community reached similar
conclusions earlier this year.
In a statement, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
(PhRMA) note that while there is currently ``no clinical evidence that the
use of thimerosal has caused adverse health consequences, there is general
consensus that it would be preferable to eliminate thimerosal from vaccines
whenever possible. The vaccine industry is working closely with FDA and
other government agencies to meet this objective.''
Copyright © 1999 Reuters Limited.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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