"President Donald Trump said the aluminum in many vaccines is harmful during a wide-ranging press conference last month. The Food and Drug Administration is now examining the safety of the metal in vaccines in order to determine whether to remove it. But health experts say that the claims have no scientific basis and that taking such a step would endanger the country's public health."
"Vaccines containing aluminum are incredibly safe, says Peter Jay Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, who has played a key role in developing vaccines for neglected populations. A wealth of aluminum-containing vaccines are on the market, including those for HPV, hepatitis and pneumococcal disease, as well as the combined Tdap and polio vaccines."
"Scientists began using aluminum salts in vaccines almost a century ago as adjuvants, ingredients that are used to help produce a stronger or more effective immune response. They activate parts of the immune system that boost the production of antibodies and T cells against specific invading substances. Without the adjuvant, you don't get enough of the immune response, and the vaccine won't work, Hotez says of certain vaccines. It's absolutely essential."
Health experts state that claims about aluminum in vaccines lack scientific basis and that removing aluminum would endanger public health. The FDA is examining aluminum safety to determine whether to remove it. Aluminum salts have been used as adjuvants in vaccines for almost a century to strengthen immune responses by activating antibody and T‑cell production. Aluminum-containing vaccines include HPV, hepatitis, pneumococcal, Tdap, and polio formulations. Adjuvants reduce antigen amount, lower booster requirements, and improve immune memory. Halting production to create aluminum-free formulas would disrupt current vaccine supply and impede development of new vaccines.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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