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

The National Institutes of Health halted funding for researchers who study vaccine hesitancy and hoped to find ways to overcome it. —Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Fears stoked vaccine hesitancy, and rates of routine childhood vaccination declined. —Christian Ramers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025

Given suboptimal vaccine rates among children in Texas and rising vaccine hesitancy in the United States, clear and effective message is crucial in curbing the spread of measles. —Omer Awan, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025

The National Institutes of Health, which is also under HHS, recently ended funding for studies that examine vaccine hesitancy. —CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2002, in the meaning defined above

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)