Vaccine Mistrust for Some Dates Back to Experimental Study

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Lucenia Dunn was careful. She urged people in her area to wear face masks and keep a safe distance from one another.

Dunn lives in Tuskegee and was once mayor of this town in the southern state of Alabama. But now that COVID-19 vaccines² are becoming available, Dunn says she has no plans to get her injection right away.

"I'm not doing this vaccine¹ right now," Dunn told The Associated Press. "That doesn't mean I'm never going to do it. But I know enough to withhold³ getting it," she added, "until we see all that is involved."

The coronavirus vaccine campaign is off to a slow start in Tuskegee and surrounding areas. Community leaders point to a resistance among residents caused by a distrust of government promises and years of failed health programs.

The town is known for being the place where a major government study on the sexually transmitted disease syphilis was carried out on a group of Black men. Most of Tuskegee's 8,500 residents have family members who were part of the experiment. Government investigators⁴ later declared the experiment unethical.

What was the Tuskegee study?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes the study on its website. The research began in 1932 with 600 Black men - 399 had syphilis and 201 did not. The men were not informed about the true purpose of the study. Researchers instead told them they were being treated for "bad blood."

In truth, the CDC says, the men did not receive the necessary treatment to cure their sickness. Even when penicillin⁶ became the drug of choice for syphilis in 1947, researchers did not offer it to the men. The study -- which was supposed to last only six months -- ended up lasting⁷ 40 years. As a result, many people in Tuskegee remain suspicious.

"It does have an impact on decisions," said Frank Lee, who grew up in the community. Lee, who is Black, is director of emergency services for the area that includes Tuskegee. He said the history of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment still affects the way people think today.

However, Lucenia Dunn -- who is also Black -- says her distrust is rooted in other reasons. She says the government is using a vaccine that was rushed. The government has also not seemed able to carry out good virus testing or provide continuous quality health care for rural areas, Dunn added.

Health experts have repeatedly said that the vaccines are safe and very effective. They have noted⁸ that even though they were developed with record-breaking speed, the vaccines are based on many years of earlier research.

The vaccines being used in the U.S. have so far shown no signs of serious side effects in studies involving tens of thousands of people. Across the U.S., more than 26 million injections have been given with no major health concerns reported.

Distrust among the Black community is not just a problem in Tuskegee. A December 2020 public opinion study showed that 40 percent of Black people nationwide did not plan to get the coronavirus vaccine.

The Chicago-based Black nationalist group Nation of Islam is warning its members not to receive the vaccines. The group has an online presentation called "Beyond Tuskegee: Why Black People Must Not Take The Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine."

Fred Gray is now 90 and still works as a lawyer in Tuskegee. He rejects such comparisons. He said the syphilis study and the COVID-19 vaccine are completely different. He has gotten the vaccine and is publicly urging others to do the same.

Georgette Moon has a similar plan: she wants to protect herself and tries to persuade friends who are resistant⁹ to the vaccines. She said she hopes more Black residents will be able to overcome their fears and get vaccinated¹⁰.

"The study is a huge factor," Moon said. "I've had very ... well-educated people tell me they are not going to take it right now."

A leader of one of the oldest churches in Tuskegee is advising people in his church to get vaccinated. Reverend John Curry¹¹ Jr. said he and his wife got vaccinated without having to wait a long time.

Yet Curry said he understands the power of remaining distrust in Tuskegee. It is a town that will forever be linked to the syphilis study -- one of the most shameful¹² incidents in U.S. public health history.

"It's a blemish¹³ on Tuskegee," he said. "It hangs on the minds of people."

Words in This Story

resident – n. living in a place for some length of time

transmit – v. to cause a virus, disease, etc. to be given to others

unethical – adj. morally bad : not ethical⁵

suspicious – adj. having or showing a feeling that something is wrong or that someone is behaving wrongly : feeling or showing suspicion

impact – n. a powerful or major influence or effect

rush – v. to move forward or progress without preparation

persuade – v. to cause (someone) to do something by asking, arguing, or giving reasons

factor – n. something that helps produce or influence a result : one of the things that cause something to happen

shameful – adj. very bad : bad enough to make someone ashamed

blemish – n. a fact or event that causes people to respect someone or something less

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

3 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

4 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

6 penicillin   

n.青霉素，盘尼西林

参考例句：

• I should have asked him for a shot of penicillin.我应当让他给我打一针青霉素的。
• Penicillin was an extremely significant medical discovery.青霉素是极其重要的医学发现。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

10 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

11 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

12 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

13 blemish   

v.损害；玷污；瑕疵，缺点

参考例句：

• The slightest blemish can reduce market value.只要有一点最小的损害都会降低市场价值。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。