It’s déjà vu in Washington. Nearly two decades after the infamous Andrew Wakefield scare linking vaccines to autism — a theory since discredited, retracted, and denounced — the debate has returned to centre stage, this time armed with aluminium paranoia and presidential claims. Earlier this week, former US President Donald Trump reignited controversy by demanding that aluminium and mercury be “removed from all vaccines” and that combination doses — such as the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine — be administered separately. “We want no mercury in the vaccine. We want no aluminium in the vaccine. The MMR, I think, should be taken separately,” Trump declared, adding, “It seems that when you mix them, there could be a problem.” But as researchers were quick to note, what Trump calls a “problem” is not supported by science.
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The science behind aluminium in vaccines
Aluminium adjuvants, often vilified in conspiracy circles, is one of the most effective and safest vaccine adjuvants ever developed. Adjuvants are compounds added to vaccines to boost immune response — they make the body remember the pathogen longer and respond more efficiently, allowing smaller doses and fewer boosters.
As Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, explains, aluminium salts help keep antigens in place for longer and stimulate nearby immune cells. “The amount of aluminium in vaccines is very small,” Gavi notes. “Scientists have calculated that the overall exposure infants receive through vaccines and their diets is well below established safety thresholds.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reinforces this, clarifying that aluminium in vaccines strengthens immune responses but does not cause autism or serious health issues. “Aluminium salts are found naturally in soil, water, and food. The amount in vaccines is minuscule and safe,” the AAP wrote in its October 2025 fact-check statement.
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