vaccine hesitancy

noun

plural vaccine hesitancies
: the reluctance or refusal to have oneself or one's children vaccinated
Vaccine hesitancy can contribute to the continued spread of disease because vaccinations are not being administered.Fred Steiner
Scientists are expressing concern over what they call "vaccine hesitancy" regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.Katie Camero
WHO [World Health Organization] notes that measles cases have increased by 30 percent across the globe, and while not all cases are due to vaccine hesitancies, some countries that had nearly eliminated the disease have seen its return.Katie Gillespie

Examples of vaccine hesitancy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Given longstanding vaccine hesitancy among Black and Latino communities, making immunizations even harder to access puts this already-vulnerable population at higher risk. Anika Nayak, STAT, 10 Nov. 2023 Increasingly, adults are susceptible, too Vaccination rates have been declining in upper-income countries due to vaccine hesitancy. Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Nov. 2023 The lack of data on the differences in reactions also potentially puts females at risk and may increase their vaccine hesitancy. Korin Miller, Health, 6 Oct. 2023 McCarthy said challenges with vaccination efforts have long existed in Oklahoma, where vaccine hesitancy has increased as misinformation runs rampant. Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, 12 Oct. 2023 His last article for the magazine was on vaccine hesitancy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moises Velasquez-Manoff, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2023 But the new Delta variant, coupled with lingering vaccine hesitancy, is complicating the United States' recovery. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 2 Aug. 2023 The group also maintained that mistrust about such arrangements can contribute to vaccine hesitancy. Ed Silverman, STAT, 17 Aug. 2023 Her wide-ranging subjects include opioids, tribes, reproductive rights, adolescent mental health and vaccine hesitancy. Jan Hoffman, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vaccine hesitancy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

2002, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vaccine hesitancy was in 2002

Dictionary Entries Near vaccine hesitancy

Cite this Entry

“Vaccine hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine%20hesitancy. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Medical Definition

vaccine hesitancy

noun
: the reluctance or refusal to have oneself or one's children vaccinated
Scientists are expressing concern over what they call "vaccine hesitancy" regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.Katie Camero, The Miami Herald
Reasons for vaccine hesitancy fit into 3 categories: lack of confidence (in effectiveness, safety, the system, or policy makers), complacency (perceived low risk of acquiring VPDs [vaccine preventable diseases]), and lack of convenience …Shixin Shen and Vinita Dubey, Canadian Family Physician
WHO [World Health Organization] notes that measles cases have increased by 30 percent across the globe, and while not all cases are due to vaccine hesitancies, some countries that had nearly eliminated the disease have seen its return.Katie Gillespie, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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