Flu vaccines from the Amelia T. Wood Health Center will no longer contain thimerosal, an ingredient that could be linked to autism and Alzheimer's Disease.
Dr. Kent Bullis, medical director of Ball State University's Health Center, said the clinic has ordered vials of Fluarix, which does not contain mercury-based thimerosal like the previously-used Fluzone.
The medical center changed the flu vaccines after the Ball State Truth Movement provided research suggesting thimerosal could cause Alzheimer's Disease, Bullis said.
"Since the group of students came to us and expressed concerns about it, we decided to change," he said.
The Health Center will keep one bottle of thimerosal-containing Fluzone because Fluarix can set off allergic reactions for people with latex allergies, Bullis said.
Vaccines use mercury-based ingredients like thimerosal as a preservative that kills bacteria in multiple-use bottles. Fluarix is sold in one-dose vials, which is why it doesn't contain thimerosal, Bullis said.
The cost for 10 bottles of Fluarix is about the same as one bottle of Fluzone, Bullis said.
For more on this story, read Tuesday's issue of The Ball State Daily News.
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