Thimerosal is an ethyl mercury–containing compound that has been used safely for >60 years as a preservative in multidose vials of vaccines to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination of those vials when they are repeatedly entered to withdraw doses.1,2 In the late 1990s, preservative-free single-dose vials were widely introduced into high-income countries (HICs). This was a precautionary move in response to theoretical concerns, now known to be unfounded, that ethyl mercury in thimerosal could build up in vaccine recipients’ bodies at a rate to similar methylmercury (a known toxin) causing toxicity.3 For low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burdens of vaccine-preventable deaths are most profound, multidose vials of thimerosal-preserved vaccines are a critical part of immunization programs. Extensive additional resources associated with increased manufacturing, shipping, cold-chain storage, administration, and waste-handling infrastructure would be required by a move away from multidose vaccines; for example, a shift...
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January 2013
Commentary|
January 01 2013
Global Justice and the Proposed Ban on Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines
Katherine King, PhD, MSc;
Katherine King, PhD, MSc
aEthical, Social, and Cultural Program for Global Health, and
bCentre for Research on Inner City Health, Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and
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Megan Paterson;
Megan Paterson
aEthical, Social, and Cultural Program for Global Health, and
cSandra Rotman Centre, University Health Network & University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Shane K. Green, PhD
aEthical, Social, and Cultural Program for Global Health, and
cSandra Rotman Centre, University Health Network & University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address correspondence to Shane K. Green, PhD, Sandra Rotman Centre, MaRS Building, South Tower, 101 College St, Suite 406, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5G1L7. E-mail: shane.green@srcglobal.org
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Address correspondence to Shane K. Green, PhD, Sandra Rotman Centre, MaRS Building, South Tower, 101 College St, Suite 406, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5G1L7. E-mail: shane.green@srcglobal.org
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
Pediatrics (2013) 131 (1): 154–156.
Article history
Accepted:
October 15 2012
Citation
Katherine King, Megan Paterson, Shane K. Green; Global Justice and the Proposed Ban on Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines. Pediatrics January 2013; 131 (1): 154–156. 10.1542/peds.2012-2976
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