What is an adjuvanted vaccine?
• There are two parts to an adjuvanted vaccine: the antigen and the adjuvant. Antigen is the active ingredient in the vaccine that provides protection against the virus. • Adjuvant is an ingredient made of naturally occurring squalene oil, water and vitamin E that boosts the body’s immune response and increases the vaccine effectiveness. • Adding an “adjuvant” to the vaccine allows for a larger amount of vaccine to be produced (dose-sparing) and still be effective. • Adjuvant-based vaccine also has the potential to provide better cross-protection against mutating flu virus strains. The adjuvant boosts the immune response of an individual. The World Health Organization (WHO) urges the use of dose-sparing formulations that use adjuvant to maximize antigen-sparing, permitting more vaccine to be available.
