Overview
- Vaccines contain active ingredients (antigens; mRNA) and inactive ingredients such as stabilizers, antimicrobials, inactivating agents, antibiotics, and residues from the production. process.
- Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde is a natural substance in human metabolism. With this natural presence in mind, the amount contained in vaccines is not relevant. However, high concentrations of formaldehyde in its gaseous form may act as a carcinogen.
- Thiomersal: Thiomersal was withdrawn from inactivated pediatric vaccines in the year 2000. Available evidence indicates that it does not cause autism and it has never been an ingredient in live vaccines.
- Antibiotics: Penicillin and streptomycin are not used or added during vaccine production. Allergies to neomycin are infrequent.
- Egg protein allergy: Patients with severe hen egg protein allergy:
- can safely be vaccinated with MMR or TBE vaccines;
- should receive egg-protein-free influenza vaccines based on cell culture technology;
- should not receive the yellow fever vaccine, which is contraindicated—however, if necessary, it may be administered in graded doses by an allergist.
