Vaccine Hesitancy: Implications for Uptake, Public Health, Policy, and Practice

The World Health Organization has listed vaccine hesitancy, i.e., the delay in uptake or refusal of vaccines regardless of the availability of vaccination services, as one of ten threats to global health. Vaccine hesitancy is a complex, context-specific phenomenon, varying across time, place and vaccines.

We know that factors such as complacency, convenience and confidence influence individuals’ attitudes towards vaccination. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought vaccine hesitancy to the forefront of public debate. Health inequalities are worsening in many parts of the world, and vaccine hesitancy contributes to this trend. For example, in the United Kingdom, coverage of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has dropped to significantly below the World Health Organization’s 95% target needed for the elimination of measles, and there are indications that, in the wake of the pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy may be affecting routine childhood immunizations.

Vaccine hesitancy tends to be particularly prevalent in underserved communities, such as minority ethnic, and socio-economically deprived groups. Even a small reduction in immunization rates impacts negatively on herd immunity, placing additional burden on healthcare. It is, therefore, critical to identify factors affecting vaccine hesitancy and to develop interventions to address this issue.

In this Special Issue, we will collect original research on vaccine hesitancy across a range of vaccines, populations and settings. We will focus on research that has the potential to inform policy and practice in relation to increasing vaccine uptake.

Guest editing a special issue for the journal Vaccines (ISSN ISSN 2076-393X)