Tag: influenza

Pentagon Ends Flu Vaccine Mandate for Reservists, But Not Active Duty Troops

The Pentagon revised its flu vaccine policy for some, but not all, service members, according to a May 29 memo, first reported on today by The Associated Press.

Under the revised policy, reserve members, which include the National Guard, aren’t mandated to get the flu shot unless they are called to active duty for 30 consecutive days or more. If they choose to get the vaccine, the U.S. Department of War (formerly Department of Defense) won’t compensate them for their time and expense.

Active-duty service members are still required to get the vaccine.

According to the memo by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg:

“All Active Component Service members are required to receive the annual seasonal influenza immunization or obtain an exemption (i.e., medical or administrative). Reserve Component Service members activated for 30 consecutive days or more are required to receive the seasonal influenza immunization or obtain an exemption. During an outbreak, pandemic influenza immunizations will be required or recommended as appropriate, depending on the immunization’s regulatory status at the time of the outbreak.”

A Pentagon official today confirmed that they changed the policy, telling The Defender:

“On May 29, 2025, the Department released updated policy guidance on seasonal influenza immunizations, reflecting common-sense revisions to existing requirements.

“There are no changes to policy for active-duty Service members, who are still required to receive the annual flu vaccine. Likewise, requirements for civilian employees will continue to be based on occupational risk for contagion and spread. For example, all healthcare workers are required to receive the flu vaccine.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth drew attention to the May memo on Wednesday when he retweeted a celebratory post from a National Guard member who said, “I found out today that for the first time in over a decade, I won’t be forced to get a flu shot this fall for the privilege of serving my state and country.”

Military flight surgeon Lt. Col. Theresa Long told The Defender that service members are still trying to get clear information about the COVID-19 vaccine and the full implications of its impact on the health of service members.

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Gates-Funded Study Confirms 27% Higher Risk of Heart Injury in Influenza-Vaccinated Compared to Unvaccinated: ‘The Lancet’

A massive new study funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and published last week in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine provides evidence that seniors vaccinated for influenza experienced more heart injuries, not fewer.

The findings come after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cut American funding to Bill Gates’ vaccine syndicate Gavi, citing a 2017 study showing the DTP shot “may kill more children from other causes than it saves” from diphtheria, tetanus, or pertussis.

The new influenza vaccine study analyzed over 8.1 million Chinese adults aged 65 and older between 2020 and 2022.

Out of those, just 170,011 received an influenza vaccine, while more than 8 million remained unvaccinated.

Researchers then tracked the rate of major cardiovascular events in each group.

The Raw Data Tell the Story

The most striking finding comes from the crude numbers.

When researchers looked at acute coronary syndromes (ACS)—a category that includes heart attacks, unstable angina, and other sudden cardiac events—the results were blunt:

  • Vaccinated: 26.4 events per 1,000 person-years
  • Unvaccinated: 26.3 events per 1,000 person-years
  • Crude incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.27 (95% CI: 1.24–1.31)

That figure means vaccinated seniors had a 27% higher risk of heart injury compared to the unvaccinated.

This is the kind of red-flag signal that would normally demand urgent investigation. Instead, the authors buried it under layers of statistical adjustments.

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RFK Jr. Announces Ban Mercury-Based Thimerosal from All Flu Vaccines Which Can Cause “Mild to Severe Mental Retardation” in Unborn Children 

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced what may be one of the most important health policy decisions in decades: a full federal ban on the use of mercury-based preservative thimerosal in vaccines.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a sweeping executive order on July 23, 2025, mandating vaccine manufacturers to eliminate the mercury‑based preservative thimerosal from all influenza vaccine formulations sold in the United States.

Kennedy justified the move by citing long-held claims that prenatal exposure to even tiny doses of ethyl­mercury in multi‑dose vials can lead to “mild to severe mental retardation” in unborn children.

According to The Conversation:

RFK Jr. has long linked thimerosal to autism – a connection that extensive scientific research has thoroughly debunked.

Thimerosal is an organic chemical containing mercury, used as a preservative in vaccines since the 1930s. Its effect comes from the mercury that disrupts the function of enzymes in microbes, such as bacteria and fungi. This prevents contamination of vaccines while they are stored in vials. Mercury, however, is also well-known as a potent toxin acting on cells the brain.

Much of mercury’s toxicity to brain cells stems from the same attributes that make thimerosal such a useful preservative. It disrupts the basic biological function of cells by changing the structure of proteins and enzymes.

In the brain, this can lead neurons to become excessively active, can impair the way they use energy, it can increase inflammation and lead to the death of neurons. While mercury poisoning can damage brain function in adults, babies are even more vulnerable.

Kennedy revealed that flu shots laced with this toxic compound were still being administered to pregnant women and children up until last week.

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Defense Department Continues Ignoring Harms to Readiness by Pushing Flu Shots Contrary to Large Body of Evidence

After the tyrannical enforcement of the now-rescinded 2021 COVID-19 shot mandate, now determined to be “unlawful as implemented,” skepticism of all vaccines has clearly increased throughout the military community.

Sadly, some service members are facing punitive actions for objecting to the flu shot, having argued it is ineffective and detrimental to not only their health, but also their religious convictions. An anonymous Marine officer and Air Force Major Brennan Schilperoort share a similar moral and religious objection to the shot, while also suffering adverse effects from a previous injection. Additionally, both officers have also shown natural immunity.

Rather than recognizing their Constitutionally protected religious rights to substantiate their objection, the military has decided to separate both individuals from service. Although Maj. Schilperoort’s pay was restored by the Air Force, it must be noted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is aware of their situation, but has thus far remained silent on the issue of separation over the flu shot.

The Gateway Pundit spoke to independent journalist Jeremy Hammond, whose articles about the flu shot have elicited high praise from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

For Hammond, “The coerced vaccination of military service members is yet another unfortunate example of how the government systematically violates individuals’ right to informed consent.” He explained, “This policy exists despite scientific evidence indicating that getting an annual flu shot can actually increase the risk of influenza illness.”

A Cleveland Clinic study of their 54,402 employees during the 2024-2025 flu season found the flu shot was not effective in preventing the transmission of the respiratory illness. Results of the study can be found at MedRxiv, pronounced “med-archive,” an online platform used to share “preprints” in the medical, clinical, and health science fields.

The manuscript is a preprint, meaning it has not been peer-reviewed. Thus, “it reports new medical research that has yet to be evaluated and so should not be used to guide clinical practice,” according to the site.

While some might question the validity and reliability of the research as a result, preprints are also known to allow for quicker dissemination of research, provide opportunities for feedback from the scientific community, or could simply be considered an early version of the research manuscript.

With these parameters in place to consider, the study found “in an analysis adjusted for age, sex, clinical nursing job, and employment location, the risk of influenza was significantly higher for the vaccinated compared to the unvaccinated state, yielding a calculated vaccine effectiveness of −26.9%” [emphasis added]. Therefore, based on this data, it can be stated vaccinated individuals were 27 percent more likely to get the flu.

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U.S. To Eliminate Mercury-Based Preservative From All Flu Vaccines

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that it will fully eliminate thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, from flu vaccines, following a formal recommendation by a federal advisory panel.

The move marks a significant shift in vaccine policy after years of mounting concern over mercury exposure, particularly in children. 

Last month, the ACIP voted to limit flu vaccines to only those free of thimerosal. The mercury-containing preservative, largely phased out of childhood vaccines by 2001, still lingers in some multi-dose flu shots. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on Tuesday signed the advisory board’s recommendations, the department said Wednesday. –Just the News

“After more than two decades of delay, this action fulfills a long-overdue promise to protect our most vulnerable populations from unnecessary mercury exposure,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility. Today, we put safety first.”

Kennedy added: “With the U.S. now removing mercury from all vaccines, we urge global health authorities to follow this prudent example for the protection of children worldwide.”

Thimerosal, first introduced in the 1930s to prevent microbial contamination in multi-dose vaccine vials, was largely removed from childhood immunizations by 2001. However, it remained in some adult flu shots and doses provided through multi-use vials, which have been favored for their efficiency in mass vaccination settings.

The renewed push to remove thimerosal gained traction in the late 1990s, after the FDA Modernization Act of 1997 mandated a review of mercury in medical products. In recent decades, growing public and scientific scrutiny of cumulative mercury exposure – particularly among infants and pregnant women – has led to calls for reform.

According to HHS, 96 percent of flu vaccines for the 2024–2025 season are already thimerosal-free, meaning the transition to single-dose, preservative-free vials is unlikely to disrupt supply. Vaccine manufacturers have assured the agency that they can meet demand for both adult vaccinations and the Vaccines for Children program.

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Govt. Researchers: Flu Shots Not Effective in Elderly, After All

Dr. Reichert: “We realized we had incendiary material.”

Dr. Reichert said the researchers thought their study would prove flu vaccinations helped.

Dr. Reichert: “We were trying to do something mainstream. That’s for sure.”

Sharyl: “Were you surprised?”

Dr. Reichert: “Astonished.”

Sharyl: “Did you check the data a couple of times to make sure?”

Dr. Reichert: “Well, even more than that. We’ve looked at other countries now and the same is true.”

An important and definitive “mainstream” government study done nearly two decades ago got little attention because the science came down on the wrong side.

It found that after decades and billions of dollars spent promoting flu shots for the elderly, the mass vaccination program did not result in saving lives. In fact, the death rate among the elderly increased substantially.

The authors of the study admitted a pro-vaccine bias going into the study. Here was the history as described to me: Public health experts long assumed flu shots were effective in the elderly. But, paradoxically, all the best studies done on the question failed to demonstrate a benefit. Instead of considering that they, the experts, could be wrong–instead of believing the scientific data–the public health experts assumed the studies were wrong. After all, flu shots have to work, right?

So the NIH launched an effort to do “the” definitive study that would actually prove, for the first time, once and for all, that flu shots were beneficial to the elderly. The government would gather some of the brightest scientific minds for the research, and adjust for all kinds of factors that could be masking that presumed benefit.

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Vaccine advisory board votes to remove controversial mercury-based compound from flu vax

In a win for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 5-1 to limit flu vaccines to only those free of thimerosal. The mercury-containing preservative, largely phased out of childhood vaccines by 2001, still lingers in some multi-dose flu shots. But with 96% of U.S. flu vaccines for the 2024-2025 season already thimerosal-free, single-dose options are not hard to come by.

The committee, freshly revamped by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also voted 5-1 to mandate thimerosal-free flu vaccines for children 18 and under and pregnant women. 

The effort to remove thimerosal began in the late 1990s, sparked by growing public and scientific scrutiny of mercury exposure. In 1997, the FDA Modernization Act prompted a review of mercury in medical products, including thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used since the 1930s to prevent microbial contamination in multi-dose vaccine vials.

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Moderna To Ask For Clearance For Combination COVID-Influenza Vaccine

Moderna is going to ask regulators to approve its combination vaccine against COVID-19 and influenza, the company said on June 30.

The company said a phase 3 study evaluating its influenza vaccine candidate, mRNA-1010—which utilizes the same messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) platform as its COVID-19 vaccine—showed positive effectiveness.

In the trial, which featured 40,805 participants and compared mRNA-1010 to an existing seasonal flu vaccine in adults aged 50 and up, the relative protection from the candidate was 26.6 percent better. In a subgroup analysis among participants aged at least 65, the relative efficacy was 27.4 percent.

“Today’s strong Phase 3 efficacy results are a significant milestone in our effort to reduce the burden of influenza in older adults,” Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s CEO, said in a statement.

Several companies, including Moderna, have been planning to introduce combination shots against COVID-19 and influenza.

Moderna, however, in May withdrew its application for approval for its combination vaccine, a move the company said came after consulting with the Food and Drug Administration.

Moderna at the time said it planned to resubmit the application before the end of 2025 after it received efficacy data from the phase 3 trial for mRNA 1010.

“An mRNA-based flu vaccine has the potential advantage to more precisely match circulating strains, support rapid response in a future influenza pandemic, and pave the way for COVID-19 combination vaccines,” Bancel said on Monday.

The trial results have been fully published or peer reviewed. Moderna said it plans to submit the results to a peer-reviewed journal.

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CDC Advisers Vote To Recommend Removal Of Mercury From Influenza Vaccines

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 26 advised the agency to stop recommending influenza vaccines containing a mercury-based preservative.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in a series of votes reaffirmed the existing recommendation that virtually all individuals aged at least 6 months of age receive an annual influenza shot. The panel further advised, though, that individuals only receive thimerosal-free vaccines.

About 95 percent of influenza vaccines administered in the United States in late 2024 and early 2025 were free of thimerosal, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Tracy Hoeg, an FDA official, told the committee that there appear to be enough influenza vaccine doses without thimerosal for the upcoming virus season, which runs from the fall into the winter.

A spokesperson for Sanofi told The Epoch Times in an email: “We acknowledge the recommendation of the new ACIP. We now await the decision by the CDC on the path forward.

“We will have sufficient supply of Sanofi flu vaccine to support customer preference for this season.”

Seqirus, which also produces influenza vaccines with thimerosal, has not responded to requests for comment.

ACIP provides advice to the CDC’s director, who typically adopts the recommendations.

The CDC has no acting director listed on its website. President Donald Trump’s nominee for the post, Susan Monarez, is being considered by the Senate. The CDC and its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, did not respond to requests for comment.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier in the year adopted some recommendations offered by ACIP.

Kennedy has long opposed vaccines with thimerosal, and the panel heard before the vote from Lyn Redwood, a past president of a nonprofit that Kennedy founded who is now listed as an employee of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Redwood said in her presentation that a number of studies have provided evidence against thimerosal, including a 2003 paper that found an association between thimerosal exposure and tics and a 2007 study that found links to several positive and several negative associations, including a lower measure of executive functioning.

“There have been studies that have found evidence of harm,” Redwood said.

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GAO Backs ‘Universal Vaccine’ Built From Multiple Virus Fragments Fused Into One—Influenza Takes Center Stage Again

While this Frankenstein-style injection is being marketed as a tool to stop future pandemics, the virus at the center of it all is influenza—the same virus the U.S. government has spent years manipulating through gain-of-function research and now claims is on the verge of causing the next global outbreak.

“Since 2015, most clinical work on universal vaccines has focused on the flu,” the GAO states in its May 2025 Science & Tech Spotlight report.

“Multiple universal vaccine candidates targeting the flu… have reached clinical trials.”

This aligns with what we’ve already exposed: Federal agencies have been conducting bird flu gain-of-function experiments for over a decade, pushing mRNA and DNA vaccines for poultry, and stockpiling antiviral contracts—all while whispering warnings about H5N1 jumping to humans.

The Trump administration recently announced the development of a $500 million “next-generation, universal vaccine platform” called ‘Generation Gold Standard’ that will focus on avian influenza “bird flu” jab creation.

Led by Obama-nominated Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, GAO is now confirming another next step in that orchestrated rollout: a universal flu vaccine that doesn’t just target one strain—but uses recombined fragments from many strains at once.

“Scientists can now fuse together microscopic pieces of many different virus strains, increasing the number of strains that can be targeted in a single dose,” the GAO report explains.

This isn’t a new flu shot.

It’s a molecular chimera—a biotech construct made from the stitched-together parts of viruses that don’t exist naturally.

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