Effective July 1, it will be against California law to administer mercury-containing vaccines—including inactivated influenza vaccine from multi-dose vials—to pregnant women and children younger than 3 years old. Multidose vials of flu vaccine are made with thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative.

Next flu season, only doses of influenza vaccine from single-dose syringes or vials with trace levels (less than 0.5 micrograms of mercury per 0.5 milliliter dose for pregnant women, less than .25 micrograms per .5 milliliter dose for small children) or no mercury may be given to pregnant women and children under 3.

Physicians need to consider this new law when ordering influenza vaccine for the 2006-07 influenza season. Prebooking has already begun for some influenza vaccine manufacturers.

Click here for a memo from the California Department of Health on this issue.

Contact: Robin Flagg, 415/882-5110 or rflagg@cmanet.org.