Vaccine Hesitancy Among African Americans

ABSTRACT

The limited participation of African Americans in clinical trials has been a topic of discussion among medical and scientific researchers for some time. With the testing of coronavirus vaccines, this discussion has continued, particularly given the disproportionate impact of the virus on members of the African American community. With the public health goal of achieving widespread or "herd" immunity, the concept of "vaccine hesitancy" has also been addressed with regard to the population in general, and in relation to the African American community, among others. Vaccine hesitancy has been reported among groups from healthcare workers to rural residents to the poor. As is the case with all segments of society, African Americans are not monolithic. However, there are aspects of the issue of vaccine hesitancy which are unique and specific to the African American community in the U.S. In particular, the nature of the information about the coronavirus itself and about the vaccine, and importantly, the increasing availability of the information about the Tuskegee experiment, Henrietta Lacks, and other cases, along with the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation on aspects of science, such as that involving vaccines, are relevant to understanding the nature of vaccine hesitancy among African Americans.