Every year at around this time there is a debate on the neuro boards about whether or not to get the flu vaccine.

I have one point I want to make about it. SOME of the flu vaccine is made with thimerisol, which contains mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin.

Not all flu vaccine has mercury. I recommend that anyone with sensitive nerves be sure to check the manufacturer of the vaccine. Here's what the CDC says on their website:

Today, all routinely recommended licensed pediatric vaccines that are currently being manufactured for the U.S. market, with the exception of influenza vaccine, contain no thimerosal or only trace amounts. Thimerosal preservative-free influenza vaccines are available, but in limited quantities. The total amount of inactivated influenza vaccine available without thimerosal as a preservative will continue to increase as manufacturing capabilities are expanded.

Does the influenza vaccine contain thimerosal?
Yes, the majority of influenza vaccines distributed in the United States currently contain thimerosal as a preservative. However, some contain only trace amounts of thimerosal and are considered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be preservative-free. Manufacturers of preservative-free flu vaccine use thimerosal early in the manufacturing process. The thimerosal gets diluted as the vaccine goes through the steps in processing. By the end of the manufacturing process there is not enough thimerosal left in the vaccine to act as a preservative and the vaccine is labeled ‘preservative-free'.

Updated Sep 26, 2006
Is influenza vaccine that does not contain thimerosal as a preservative available this flu season (2006-07)?
At the current time, sanofi pasteur is projecting that 8 million to 9 million doses of thimerosal-free vaccine in pre-filled syringes or vials will be produced for the 2006-07 influenza season. The majority of this vaccine will be in 0.25 mL syringes (indicated for ages 6-35 months) with the remainder in 0.5 mL vials or syringes (indicated for ages 36 months and older). In addition, GlaxoSmithKline’s influenza vaccine for adults 18 years of age and older is preservative-free vaccine and Novartis (formerly Chiron) has a preservative-free preparation for persons 4 years of age and older. Also, the nasal-spray influenza vaccine (sold commercially as FluMist®) does not contain any thimerosal and can be given to healthy people 5 to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.

From USA Today and other sites:

There are preservative-free flu vaccines, but Aventis Pasteur, the only maker of flu vaccine licensed for children under 4, expects to produce only 3˝ million doses of it in half-dose syringes suitable for very young children. Whether that will be enough depends on demand.

And from the FDA:

Available Vaccines

Product: Fluarix®
Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline
Year Licensed: 2005

Product: FluMist®
Manufacturer: MedImmune Vaccines
Year Licensed: 2003

Product: Fluvirin®
Manufacturer: Chiron Corporation
Year Licensed: 1988

Product: Fluzone®
Manufacturer: Aventis Pasteur
Year Licensed: 1978

FluMist® does not contain thimerosal. Fluarix® does not contain thimerosal preservative. Both Fluvirin® and Fluzone® are available with reduced thimerosal formulation. For information on the thimerosal content in these vaccines, see the Food and Drug Administration at www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t3 or Johns Hopkins University's Institute for Vaccine Safety at
www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm