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

Also on the chopping block were 40 grants focused on vaccine hesitancy and ways to increase vaccine acceptance. —Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

The grants were canceled after NIH staff were directed to eliminate research the administration deemed to be connected to topics including gender identity or DEI, but also any grants about vaccine hesitancy, COVID and studies involving entities located in South Africa and China. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025

The funding slash comes on the heels of other cuts under new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including the canceling of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for research into vaccine hesitancy, LGBTQ populations and supporting HIV prevention. —Brandy Zadrozny, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2025

There have also been reports of the National Institutes of Health wholesale yanking grants in particular areas, such as Sara Reardon reporting for Science about at least 33 research grants for studying vaccine hesitancy being pulled. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 16 Mar. 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)