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
Fred SteinerScientists are expressing concern over what they call "vaccine hesitancy" regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.—Katie Camero
Katie CameroWHO [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
Katie GillespieExamples of vaccine hesitancy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Worried pediatricians urged Cassidy to block Kennedy from the job, blaming Kennedy for a rise in vaccine hesitancy among parents.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2025
Adam Ratner: There is no easy answer to this question, and addressing vaccine hesitancy or frank anti-vaccine attitudes has to happen at multiple levels – from individual families, to local communities, to regional or national policy.
—Madhukar Pai, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
While 63% of healthcare professionals have observed changes over the past five years, 28% report a sharp increase in vaccine hesitancy within just the last year.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2024
His support of an anti-vaccine group in American Samoa helped fuel a wave of vaccine hesitancy in the island nation; a 2019 measles epidemic killed 83 people there, most of them children.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2025
Adam Ratner: There is no easy answer to this question, and addressing vaccine hesitancy or frank anti-vaccine attitudes has to happen at multiple levels – from individual families, to local communities, to regional or national policy.
—Madhukar Pai, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
While 63% of healthcare professionals have observed changes over the past five years, 28% report a sharp increase in vaccine hesitancy within just the last year.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 27 Dec. 2024
His support of an anti-vaccine group in American Samoa helped fuel a wave of vaccine hesitancy in the island nation; a 2019 measles epidemic killed 83 people there, most of them children.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See all Example Sentences for vaccine hesitancy
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 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Katie Camero, The Miami HeraldReasons 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
Shixin Shen and Vinita Dubey, Canadian Family PhysicianWHO [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)
Katie Gillespie, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington)Love words? Need even more definitions?
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