vaccine hesitancy

noun

plural vaccine hesitancies

Definition of vaccine hesitancy

: 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

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Cite this Entry

“Vaccine hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine%20hesitancy. Accessed 25 May. 2022.

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vaccine hesitancy

noun

Medical Definition of vaccine hesitancy

: 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)