Vaccine hesitancy
Vaccine hesitancy is the avoidance and aversion to the use of vaccines. Some people believe that vaccines cause more harm than help.[1][2][3][4] Others, especially parents of children with allergies, think that kids are getting more vaccines than they need.[5][6]
"Anti-vaccination activism" is about the opposition to vaccination; in more recent years, anti-vaccinationists have been known as "anti-vaxxers" or "anti-vax".[7] Vaccine hesitancy may be context-specific, varying across time, place, and types of vaccines.[8]
It can be caused by a lack of proper scientifically-based knowledge and understanding of how vaccines are made, or how vaccines work, and other psychological factors, including fear of vaccination needles, or the suspicion for public figures and politicians. Some anti-vaxxers believe that vaccines cause autism, which is not true.[9]
Vaccine hesitancy for infants is also related to the health beliefs of parents. Parents with higher education levels would have their children vaccinated.[source?] On the other hand, children from families with mistaken beliefs or inaccurate teaching, and also believe that vaccines cause allergies (which is not true), are likely to have their vaccinations delayed by their parents.[6]
Religion also plays an important part in anti-vaccination activism. Religious anti-vaccinationists may refer to vaccines as unnatural and therefore, unhealthy. Other opponents of vaccination question the necessity of vaccinating against rare diseases. This is ironic, since the lack of disease is a result of successful vaccination [5]
Finally, the contradictory of scientific evidence also confused the public when making vaccine decisions. As the nature of scientific evidence encourages critical thinking and constructive supplements. This made the public struggle in believing the truth of existing vaccine science.[5]
