A little reminder, to begin with: vaccines are composed of one or more active substances of biological origin called antigens.
They come from bacteria or viruses capable of stimulating the production of antibodies by our immune system.
Some contain a live infectious agent: these “live attenuated vaccines” have been modified so that they lose their infectious power while retaining their capacity to induce protection in the vaccinated person. “Inactivated vaccines” (such as influenza vaccines) contain all or part of the infectious agent, which has been chemically or thermally inactivated. However, it remains capable of eliciting a response from the immune system.
Added to some vaccines
Adjuvants are added to the manufacture of some vaccines to make them more effective. “They are used, among other things, to give the danger signal so that the immune system is activated and the vaccine works”, explains the ANSM. “They also make it possible to reduce the quantity of antigen per dose, to reduce the number of doses necessary to ensure good immunization”.
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The question of aluminum
Aluminum salts are very often used in the composition of these adjuvants, and have been for nearly a hundred years. Since the early 2000s, they have been the target of anti-vaccination activists, who accuse them of being harmful to health.
“Given the data available to date at the international level, the harmlessness of aluminum salts contained in vaccines cannot be questioned”, answers vaccination-info-service, the official health information site public France.
“The aluminum contained in vaccines is eliminated by the body in the same way as that contained in food,” adds the specialized site Infovac, supported by the French Society of Pediatrics and the French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics. Research is currently continuing to develop new adjuvants for vaccination against new diseases.
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