Vaccines are modern medicine’s best way of combating the majority of viral and bacterial illnesses and contagions to date. Thanks to the introduction of vaccines since the first uses of them in 1796 (Jenner’s smallpox vaccine), they have drastically reduced figures of disease worldwide, turning once lethal and life changing conditions into minor annoyances; Some of these afflictions have even become nonexistent or even extinct in certain parts of the world outside of a controlled laboratory setting. With many advancements and overwhelming evidence proving their efficiency, it is clear that vaccines have become nothing less than a necessity for everyday healthcare in today’s world. <br/>The greatest contributor to the creation and evolution of vaccines throughout the years is by far the progress and work done in the field of molecular and cellular biology. These advancements have become the bedrock of modern vaccination, as shown by the differing types of vaccines and their methodology. The most common varieties of vaccines are include ‘dead’ or inactivated vaccines, one such example being the pertussis strain of vaccines, which have either dead or torn apart cells for the body to easily fight off, allowing the immune system to easily and quickly counter the illness; Additionally, there are also live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) in which a weaker version of the pathogen is introduced to the body to stimulate an immune response, or a recombinant mRNA vaccine where mRNA containing the coding for an antigen is presented for immunological response, the latter being what the current COVID-19 vaccines are based on. This is in part aided by the presence of immunological adjuvants, antigens and substances that the immune system can recognize, target, and remember for future infections. However, for more serious illnesses the body needs a bigger threat to analyze, which leads to live vaccines- instead of dead or individual components of a potential pathogen, a weakened version is created in the lab to allow the body to combat it. The idea behind this is the same, but to a larger degree so a more serious illness such as measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) do not infect us.<br/>However, for the past couple of decades the public’s views on vaccination has greatly varied, with the rise of fear and disinformation leading those to believe that modern medicine is a threat in disguise. The largest of these arguments began in the late 90’s, when Dr. Andrew Wakefield published an article under the Lancet with false information connecting vaccinations to the occurrence of autism in younger children- a theory which has since then been proven incorrect numerous times over. Unfortunately, the rise of hysteria and paranoia in people, along with more misinformation from misleading sources, have strengthened the anti-vaccination cause and has made it into a serious threat to the health of those world-wide.<br/>The aim of this thesis is to provide an accurate and thorough analysis on these three themes- the history of vaccines, their inner workings and machinations in providing immune defenses for the body, and the current controversy of the anti-vaccination movement. Additionally, there will be two other sections going in-depth on two specific areas where vaccination is highly important; The spread and fear of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has been around for nearly four decades, so it begs the question: what makes this such a difficult virus, and how can a vaccine be created to combat it? Additionally, in the last year the world has encountered a new virus that has evolved into a global pandemic, SARS-COV 2. This new strain of coronavirus has shown itself to be highly contagious and rapidly mutating, and the race to quickly develop a vaccine to counteract it has been on-going since its first major infections in Wuhan, China. Overall, this thesis will go in-depth in providing the most accurate, up-to-date, and critical information regarding vaccinations today.

Developing a vaccine during the midst of a pandemic requires a careful balance between <br/>speed, safety, and efficacy. For the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. implemented Operation Warp Speed to accelerate the timeline for vaccine development. The FDA also imposed specific guidelines for granting Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). As of April 1st, 2021, Operation Warp Speed resulted in three different vaccines receiving EUA, all of which are currently being administered to the public. However, the rapid production and changes in the approval process intensified public scrutiny on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. This thesis analyzes the differences in fast-tracking a vaccine, which consolidated the authorization process into months rather than years, and delineates the main concerns of the public regarding the COVID-19 vaccine through a media analysis. Although the EUA raised questions about the safety of the vaccine, polls indicate that most Americans would still be willing to receive the vaccine.

In late 2019, COVID-19, a new disease caused by a novel (or new) coronavirus began to take over the lives of many people. This study centers on how members of the Latinx community have been affected by COVID-19. Both quantitative and qualitative data were utilized to analyze the perceived risk of infection, preventative behaviors, and acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine for individuals that identify as Latinx. Analysis of the survey and interview analysis found the majority of participants expressed abiding by recommended measures and becoming hypervigilant about their activities, and their desire to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when they are eligible. Individuals who did not express the desire to be vaccinated mentioned worries including side effects, costs, safety, and efficacy of the vaccine. Results from this research could aid in the creation of public health initiatives in order to increase the uptake of the vaccine tailored for the Latinx community.

This study compares vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic with previous studies on vaccine hesitancy to evaluate the major driving factors behind COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among undergraduate students at Arizona State University (ASU). Undergraduate students were surveyed with questions regarding different aspects of vaccines, including personal vaccination history, opinions on the COVID-19 vaccine, knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccine, and reasoning behind vaccination status. The survey was distributed through school listservs within ASU. Close-ended questions underwent statistical analysis on IBM SPSS and open-ended questions were analyzed using content analysis. Results indicated that the main driving factors behind vaccine hesitancy are believing in natural immunity, familial influence, lack of trust behind the technology of the COVID-19 vaccine, and preferring the risk of COVID-19 infection over the risk of COVID-19 vaccination. The main driving factors behind vaccine hesitancy appear to be similar to driving factors in the past, with an increase of mistrust surrounding the vaccine.

Abstract Evidence suggests fetal androgen exposure influences the development and function of the neuro-endocrine system. Recent research suggests people might be hesitant to get vaccinated because they are misinformed about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Others may have concerns about the potential side effects or may have religious or philosophical objections to vaccination. Additionally, recent studies suggest that prenatal testosterone plays a critical role in the development of sex-specific characteristics, such as adult aggressiveness. However, little is known about the potential impact of fetal androgen exposure on adult behavior such as vaccine hesitancy. The current pilot study aims to clarify any relations between these factors as well determining whether fetal androgen exposure could serve as a bioindicator for understanding how these hormones may influence the future development of adult behavior and any consequences for public health. Here we show that high fetal androgen exposure is related to a significantly greater likelihood of getting vaccinated as compared to low fetal androgen exposure. Future studies should explore the extent to which fetal androgen exposure impacts adult behavior such as vaccine hesitancy.

With recent reports indicating that there is a relatively low number of pregnant people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States (~30% per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October, 2021), this study aims to understand the reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the pregnant population in the state of Arizona. Using a mixed-methods approach, this cross-sectional study employs both semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 40) and a quantitative survey instrument (n = 400) to better understand the reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant people, with data collected over the course of a few months. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression are employed to analyze the quantitative data and the semi-structured interviews are inductively coded to analyze themes across participant interviews. The results from this study are not only able to help better address disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations among pregnant people, but they also provide implications for vaccine hesitancy overall in order to develop interventions to address vaccine hesitancy. Future research is warranted to better understand regional differences in vaccine hesitancy and differences across populations.