National Immunization Awareness Month is a time of year when the importance of vaccinations throughout one’s lifetime is amplified. Regardless of age, life stage, or ethnic background, it’s important not to focus on vaccinations only in early life, but to continue them throughout adulthood to support health beyond staying active and eating a balanced diet. For African Americans in particular, the relationship between vaccination administration and medical treatment services has a convoluted past that still impacts generations today.
From being leveraged as test subjects for vaccinations during the Civil War to the mistreatment and misdiagnosis of Black mothers during childbirth, the steering away from consistent medical visits and taking care of health concerns at home didn’t just happen overnight.
The ending of slavery did not equate to the end of clinical testing and trial periods for African Americans; it simply took on a new format. Stories such as Henrietta Lacks’s cells being used without her consent while receiving medical care and the Tuskegee Experiment are what drive the notion among the African American community that trust is earned, not always an automatic in care.
With approximately 6% of physicians being African American, as reported by KFF, inherent trust in care from someone who looks like you is promising but does not always reflect the ratio between providers and patients. The representation that African American providers have been able to give has bestowed some level of trust back into patients as they go to them. However, the lack of a larger number of providers still leaves apparent gaps in care and experiences.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, Black children born in 2020 were found to be 7% less likely to be fully vaccinated by the age of two in comparison to all other children born that year. Meanwhile, adults over 65 years old of the same ethnic background were found to be 16% less likely to have the pneumonia vaccine than other adults of the same age group. This data, among other studies, outline the generational lack of immunizations. Regardless of the reason, whether it be inadequate care or lack of resources, proper education on immunizations and awareness is what can help to bridge these gaps over time.
The work of organizations such as The Center for Black Health & Equity and the National Black Leadership Commission on Health are what help to keep conversations about health equity history and advocacy going. Their tireless work is also what helps to ensure equitable practices exist while maximizing stories that tend to fly under the radar on a local and national level.