ACIP overhaul and meeting draw criticism from the public and experts

Over the last two weeks, online commenters expressed skepticism about a new COVID-19 variant and whooping cough vaccinations.

Conversations about the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices dominated online vaccine conversations over the past two weeks. Shortly after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. replaced ACIP with a smaller panel that included several notable vaccine skeptics, many social media users expressed concern about the overhaul, the new committee’s lack of relevant experience, and the inclusion of anti-vaccine talking points at the June 25 ACIP meeting. Meanwhile, online commenters dismissed reports of painful symptoms caused by an emerging COVID-19 variant and debated the importance of whooping cough vaccines to protect infants.

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What’s trending in vaccine conversation:

Conversations about the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices June 25 meeting are trending online. Although vaccine opponents applauded the replacement of ACIP’s panel of experts with several well-known vaccine skeptics, critics noted that most replacement ACIP members lack relevant expertise and have histories of anti-vaccine work. Days before the meeting, two senators, including one who voted to confirm Kennedy, called for the meeting to be delayed until members “with more direct relevant expertise” are appointed.

The meeting included a presentation about thimerosal, led by the former head of an anti-vaccine organization, who has been appointed to an unknown position at the HHS. Thimerosal has long been a focus of the anti-vaccine movement, which falsely claims the vaccine ingredient is harmful and linked to developmental disorders. Research has consistently shown no safety concerns associated with thimerosal, which is present in a small percentage of flu vaccines in the U.S. The thimerosal presentation drew harsh criticism, including from an ACIP member who noted that “the risk from influenza is so much greater than the non-existent, as far as we know, risk from thimerosal.” Several news outlets also reported that the presentation cited a study that does not exist, in line with the current HHS’s recent trend of referencing nonexistent research. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. published a long social media post falsely claiming that thimerosal is unsafe, citing outdated and irrelevant studies about methylmercury, which is not present in any vaccine. The post received over 1,300 replies, with many of the top responses noting accurately that thimerosal contains ethylmercury, a form of mercury that humans can safely process and which decades of research have shown is completely harmless in the doses present in vaccines.

Many social media users feared that Kennedy’s health officials and advisors may be laying the groundwork to restrict access to or ban certain vaccines. These fears were validated by ACIP’s vote against recommending flu vaccines containing thimerosal. Although few vaccines in the U.S. contain the ingredient, many online critics emphasized that the vote was based on disproven claims about the alleged risk posed by the substance, which has been safely used in vaccines worldwide for decades.

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Recent reports suggest that one of the symptoms of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 is stabbing throat pain, which some have compared to swallowing razor blades. As the description of “razor blade throat” circulated online in the U.S., many social media users dismissed it as fearmongering, suggesting that news coverage of COVID-19 variants is part of a plot to bring back lockdowns. Some users took the opportunity to encourage people to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccination, while others promoted fake remedies and conspiracy theories about vaccine ingredients. Several people expressed concern about the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and the reliability of vaccine guidance under the current administration.

As whooping cough continues to surge in the U.S., a viral June 12 social media post highlighted how the politicization of vaccines impacts families. A social media user with a large following complained that he and his wife were prevented from meeting their newborn grandchild because they haven’t received whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine boosters. The post and replies insinuate that people have been “brainwashed” by vaccine “propaganda.” As of June 25, the post has received over 58,000 engagements and 5.5 million views. Notably, most of the top responses to the post, including those from vaccine skeptics, encourage the poster to get vaccinated. Many explained how dangerous whooping cough is to infants and the effectiveness of the vaccine. Several people promoted false claims about the safety of mRNA vaccines while expressing support for “traditional” vaccines. Some commenters argued that requiring the grandparents to get vaccinated is “unfair” and “unreasonable, while others claimed without evidence that the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine is unsafe.

Read the fact checks: 

• PBS News: What to know about thimerosal, vaccine preservative from bygone flu-shot debate 
• Very Well Health: What You Need to Know About the New COVID Variant ‘Nimbus’ 
• NFID: Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

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Talking points for health care providers to use in response to trending narratives

Each week the Infodemiology.com team will provide talking points and supporting messages in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. Health care providers can use this messaging when discussing vaccines online, talking to patients, or engaging with communities.

Thimerosal is added to vaccines to prevent contamination. Decades of research show that it is safe.

• All vaccine ingredients are thoroughly tested for safety and are added to make vaccines safe and more effective.
• Thimerosal is a vaccine preservative that prevents contamination. It contains ethylmercury, a form of mercury that is safe for humans in small doses. Few vaccines in the U.S. contain thimerosal, and those that do have roughly the same amount of mercury as a can of tuna.
• Thimerosal was removed from all routine childhood vaccines in the U.S. in 2001 as a precautionary measure. Decades of research have never found evidence that thimerosal in vaccines is harmful. 
• Many countries worldwide use thimerosal-containing vaccines with no safety issues. In the U.S., the only vaccines that contain thimerosal are a small percentage of flu vaccines stored in vials with multiple doses and a tetanus and diphtheria vaccine for individuals aged 7 and older.
• Your health care provider and trusted institutions, such as CIDRAP and the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, are well-respected sources of accurate information.

A new COVID-19 variant is spreading and causing painful symptoms. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and your family.

• The COVID-19 variant, nicknamed Nimbus, is surging in the U.S. and may cause an increase in infections and hospitalizations this summer.  
• Some people who have gotten a Nimbus COVID-19 infection describe a severe sore throat that they compare to swallowing razor blades. 
• Research suggests that the current (2024-2025) COVID-19 vaccines protect against Nimbus and other similar variants.

Babies under 6 months are at high risk of dying from whooping cough. Get vaccinated to protect the babies in your life.

• Whooping cough is an extremely contagious disease that is particularly dangerous in babies and young children, who can develop serious complications like difficulty breathing and brain damage. One in five infants with whooping cough develop pneumonia, and one in 100 die. 
• The disease is on the rise in the U.S. Babies and young children who are not fully vaccinated are at the highest risk of contracting whooping cough.
• Whooping cough vaccines are safe and up to 98 percent effective against infection. 
• Whooping cough vaccines are recommended for infants, children, adolescents, pregnant people, and adults who will be around infants.

Interested in recommendations tailored to public health professionals? Click here.