Ask an expert about the ingredients of the vaccine

The composition of the vaccine is mainly antigens taken from viruses, bacteria that have died or weakened. Besides, vaccines also contain other auxiliary components with certain uses in disease prevention.

Do you often encounter rumors of toxic ingredients in vaccines spreading online? Confused amid a forest of bogus information? Let's learn about the ingredients of vaccines with experts.

Components of the vaccine

All vaccines contain antigens from viruses, dead or weakened bacteria. Antigens make vaccines work by promoting the body to produce the immune responses it needs to protect itself from disease. Here are some types of antigens, including:

Virus live, attenuated. They are too weak to cause illness, but still enough to cause the body to produce an immune response. These are commonly used in the measles , mumps , rubella , rotavirus , chickenpox and a flu vaccine.

Inactivated virus (dead). Inactivated viruses are weaker than viruses that only reduce their virulence, but the body can still recognize them and create an immune response to protect. Vaccines that commonly contain these antigens include the vaccine against polio, hepatitis A , influenza and rabies.

Virus extraction. This type is obtained from specific parts of the dead virus. Typical vaccines are hepatitis B and HPV.

Extraction bacteria. Similar to the above, this antigen comes from a specific part of the dead bacteria. The vaccines prepared in this manner are usually Hib, pneumococcal , meningococcal, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

In addition, the vaccine also contains ingredients to ensure safety and effectiveness. These substances include preservatives, excipients, additives and some other negligible ingredients, such as enrichment medium, antibiotics.

What are the auxiliary ingredients in the vaccine?

In addition to antigens, the vaccine also contains the following ingredients:

Additives. They help in efficient vaccine storage. Additives include gelatin, albumin, sucrose, lactose, MSG and glycine. The gelatin in some vaccines helps prevent the negative effects of freeze drying or heat. It also serves as a balancer in vaccines.

Preservative. The use of preservatives is to keep vaccines free of pathogenic microorganisms, in other words to ensure vaccine purity. For example, thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative that is only added to multi-dose vaccines.

Excipients. The presence of an adjuvant helps to induce a stronger immune response to fight the pathogen, which in turn can reduce the dose of vaccine required. The two common excipients in vaccines are:

Aluminum salts (aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate or alum)

Squalene

Other components. In some cases, manufacturers add compounds in vaccine formulation because of need, but they discard them before the final product is finished. Theoretically, but a small amount of these substances are still present in the final product. Depending on how the vaccine is being made, the manufacturer may not completely remove the antibiotic (neomycin), egg protein or yeast protein. A good example is formaldehyde, often used to detoxify diphtheria and tetanus toxins or to neutralize viruses. Experts have proven that a small amount of formaldehyde left in vaccines does not harm the health of vaccinations at all.

Do vaccines contain antifreeze?

The vaccine does not contain anticoagulants because it contains ethylene glycol - a toxic compound.

Does the vaccine contain mercury?

Today, almost NO vaccines contain mercury. Thimerosal, a compound containing a form of mercury is ethyl mercury, was added to childhood vaccines. Although there is no evidence that thimerosal in vaccines harms or causes autism, as a precaution, scientists still remove this compound from most childhood vaccines. 1999.

Should manufacturers reduce the amount of chemicals in vaccines?

Besides antigens, only a very small amount of additives and other ingredients are present in vaccines. We are regularly exposed to these chemicals in even higher concentrations than those found in vaccines on a daily basis. Since the ingredients of vaccines are harmless, safe and effective, the removal of those chemicals could affect the vaccine's effect on protecting people from disease.

Do the ingredients in the vaccine cause allergic reactions?

Certain ingredients used in vaccines such as gelatin, egg protein, and antibiotics sometimes trigger an allergic reaction. If you are allergic to gelatin, egg protein, or any of the antibiotics included in the vaccine, consult your doctor or nurse for the best advice.