The Trump administration’s new vaccine advisers have recently endorsed flu vaccinations for nearly every American this fall. However, they have specified that only certain shots free of a preservative, thimerosal, should be used. This preservative has been safely used in vaccines for decades but has faced scrutiny due to containing a small amount of mercury.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was abruptly fired by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and replaced with several vaccine skeptics. The new seven-member panel discussed the safety of thimerosal based on a presentation from an anti-vaccine group’s former leader, without allowing input from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thimerosal, used in less than five percent of U.S. flu vaccinations, has been deemed safe by the CDC and the World Health Organization. It contains ethyl mercury, which is quickly removed from the body and does not pose any harm. Despite multiple studies showing no link between thimerosal and autism, the panel voted to recommend thimerosal-free flu vaccinations for everyone six months and older.
The panel’s decision was criticized for lack of transparency and for blocking a CDC analysis that concluded thimerosal is safe. Medical groups raised concerns about the panel’s focus on vaccine safety and transparency. The American Academy of Pediatrics announced it would no longer participate in ACIP meetings due to the dismissals and lack of credibility.
The panel’s discussion on flu vaccinations also raised doubts about vaccine safety and fueled misinformation. With already declining flu vaccination rates and growing mistrust in vaccines, the panel’s actions further eroded public trust. The focus on reevaluating the children’s vaccine schedule, based on debunked claims of over-vaccination, also raised concerns among pediatricians and doctors.
See also Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image. The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X she was a “Bronx girl" to make her a point against the president. The 35-year-old congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City -- when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School where she graduated in 2007. She was considered an accomplished student there and well thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. “There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass," the report states. “She was amazing," Blueglass said, per the report. “Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I've been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic." After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Sandy" nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign where she eventually ousted former 10-terms Congressman Joe Crowley. New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brash with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" last week. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image if her family’s home was posted online. “I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday responding to the post. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep." “Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!"
Moving forward, it is crucial for vaccine recommendations to be based on scientific evidence and transparency. The decision to recommend thimerosal-free flu vaccinations may impact availability and insurance coverage, and it is important to ensure that public trust in vaccines is maintained.
