Dr Salisbury said there was no evidence of a link between mercury and autism, but the use of
thiomersal as a preservative in the jab would breakdown the protection offered by the new polio vaccine.
Following advice from our expert committees we have decided that
thiomersal - a mercury-based preservative - will be removed from the new combined vaccine.
The move follows the scrapping of the mercury-based preservative
thiomersal from vaccines, which has been linked to autism.
Rebecca Hoskins, from Shilbottle, Northumberland, claims the additive known as
thiomersal, which is contained in diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine (DTwP), is the most likely cause of her daughter Kaia's condition.
Sterile corneal infiltrates used to be associated with a reaction to old generation preservatives such as
thiomersal but now most are thought to be caused by an inflammatory response, usually to substances released by bacteria.
Offers for vaccines containing
thiomersal and/ or other mercurial preservatives will only be considered if no other acceptable vaccine with an alternative preservative is offered.
These are the real reasons why the new five-in-one vaccine is being introduced, rather than the absence of
thiomersal, which some pressure groups have concentrated on.
The five- in one does not contain the mercury based preservative
thiomersal, which the four-in-1 contains.
It was announced yesterday that mercury was to be removed from the whooping cough vaccine, weeks after US researchers claimed mercury-based preservative,
thiomersal, could be linked to autism.
Both British and American health departments recommended that vaccine companies phase out the use of
thiomersal (mercury) from vaccines.
The MMR Research Trust believes the study could prove whether the jabs are linked to a potentially poisonous mercury compound called
Thiomersal, found in vaccination jabs.
6 mmol/L
thiomersal and 1 g/L bovine serum albumin at 4 [degrees]C with a flow rate of 4 mL/h.
