Could Vaccine Hesitancy be a Global Health Threat After Pandemics?: A Observational Study at Early Phase of COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Abstract

Introduction: World Health Organization stated that vaccine hesitancy is an essential global health threat worldwide. The aim of the present study is to establish the number of families that refuse the hepatitis B vaccine and evaluate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the debates about vaccines. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study examined hospital's birth records covering the last ten years. The number of births per each year was recorded. A list was made of the patients who declared that they did not want their babies to be given the hepatitis B vaccine after birth. Results: The total number of families who refused the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine was 103 in the last ten years. Vaccine refusal increased to 15 times in 2016, and 18.5 times in 2021, compared to the first years covered by the study. The most common reasons to refuse vaccination were websites (34.27%) and social media (24.51%). While the majority of the participants refused vaccination due to alleged harmful ingredients in the vaccine while others due to their religious or philosophical beliefs. The mothers had a significantly higher level of education with 71% having a bachelor's degree or higher. Conclusion: Contrary to expectation of increased belief in vaccines during coronavirus pandemic, vaccine refusal has increased. Reasons for vaccine refusal are both traditional and social media features and both personal accounts and healthcare professionals in these sources can mislead the society with confusing claims. The failure to effectively provide accurate information leads to an exponential increase in false information, thus risking public health and the gains of long-lasting struggles.