Vaccine Hesitancy in Undocumented Immigrants in the United States

In the United States, major health disparities exist within minority populations. Undocumented immigrants represent an especially vulnerable community of individuals. The current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated much of the inequality existing in healthcare which contribute to vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy, described as the delay or refusal of a vaccination, even after a vaccination has been deemed safe and accessible, is currently a top ten threat to global health according to the World Health Organization. This rapid systematic review includes literature dedicated to identifying barriers and factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy in the undocumented immigrant community. In three articles identified fitting inclusion/exclusion criteria, four themes were established as the primary concerns of this population in accepting COVID-19 vaccinations; misinformation surrounding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccinations, mistrust in the United States government and healthcare system, a fear of jeopardizing current residency status and deportation if seeking care, and an overall lack of access to adequate healthcare and health resources. Improving access to care through engaging community stake holders to promote better health behaviors, expanding health insurance programs such as Medicaid to this highly uninsured population, and inclusion of minority populations, specifically undocumented immigrants in future public health research and policy making can improve public health messaging to this community and improve overall health outcomes in the future