vaccine hesitancy

English

Noun

vaccine hesitancy (uncountable)

1. Reluctance to get vaccinated, often leading to refusal to be vaccinated.
   • 2016, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Vaccine Safety Communication Guide for Immunization Programme Managers and National Regulatory Authorities, page 12:

     Vaccine hesitancy is an emerging term in the discourse on determinants of vaccine acceptance. Vaccine hesitancy may explain why uptake of a vaccine or immunization programme in a community is lower than would be expected in the context of the information given and services available.

Usage notes

• The term attained widespread use during the COVID-19 crisis.

Related terms

• vaccine hesitant

Translations

reluctance to get vaccinated

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 疫苗猶豫／疫苗犹豫 (yìmiáo yóuyù), 疫苗犹豫 (yìmiáo yóuyù)

• Finnish: rokote-epäröinti
• French: please add this translation if you can