The National Center for Biotechnology Information
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

... Anti-vax: the history of a scientific problem

The term Anti-vax' is one of the most notable recent additions to the Oxford English Dictionary,1 even though resistance to immunization is not a new fact. It always existed even before the development of the first vaccine. Kalichman et al.2 offer a critical analysis on vaccine mistrust discussing the historical public perceptions and concerns about vaccines prior and after COVID-19. It is important to note that the anti-vaccination movement dates back to 1796 when the English doctor Edward Jenner introduced the smallpox vaccine.3 This vaccine reduced the number of deaths caused by smallpox and in 1979 the disease was officially eradicated. Looking into the vaccine history timeline, the term anti-vax was initially used in the early 1800s to describe the smallpox vaccine hesitancy. In fact, the origin of the word vaccine comes from the Latin word vacca"in English cow. During this time, cowpox matter was used to produce an immune response against the deadly smallpox disease. Despite the worldwide successful vaccine history, several political parties and religious groups joined the anti-vaccination movement challenging the scientific credibility of the vaccines mainly criticizing its origins.

Although COVID-19 vaccine made real advancements saving countless lives, there are still many key counter factors endangering collective immunization. Understanding human behaviors will better prepare us to respond effectively to the next future epidemics and/or pandemics.3 Governments and science will continue to play critical roles supporting the development of groundbreaking research, collaborating to advance the production and the easy access and distribution of vaccines. Considering the history of humanity, misconceptions about immunizations will remain as a threat to global health; regardless the innumerous empirical evidence confirming the efficacy of the vaccines.4 ...