How Safe Is Thimerosal?

Thimerosal is used in multi-dose vials of the flu shot for delivery to multiple people.

This helps ensure the purity of the vaccine from one person to the next.

Preservatives became a requirement for multi-dose vaccines in 1968, although they were in use well before then.

Despite the proven safety of thimerosal in multi-dose vaccines, there were many who remained unconvinced.

What does thimerosal do to the body?

It is very unlikely you will have an allergic reaction to thimerosal.

By 2010,The Lancetissued a full retraction of the article and its findings.

To date, there has been no evidence that thimerosal can or has ever caused autism in children.

How Is Flu Vaccine Safety Evaluated?

Does the preservative-free flu shot contain formaldehyde?

The amount of formaldehyde in flu vaccines is much smaller than the amount naturally occurring in the body.

These could be the signs of a rare and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction known asanaphylaxis.

How the FDA Evaluates Vaccine Safety

The FDA is tasked with ensuring the safety of vaccines.

When Do I Need a Flu Shot?

Do I Need a Preservative-Free Flu Shot?

Unless flu vaccination iscontraindicated for you, there is no safety-related reason to avoid getting a traditional flu shot.

Alternatively, you’re free to ask your healthcare provider ifFluMist nasal spray vaccineis an option for you.

Which brand of flu vaccine is preservative-free?

If you’re unsure, ask your pharmacist or the healthcare provider giving you the vaccine.

The side effects of both preservative-free and thimerosal-containing flu shots are generally mild.

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