Pharmacists and pharmacy teams will be aware of the lasting effects of the MMR vaccine controversy. The term ‘vaccine hesitancy’ to describe the spectrum of views between vaccine acceptance and vaccine refusal may be a better way of describing the issue, rather than thinking in terms of anti-vaccine or pro-vaccine.38,

There are few evidence-based strategies to guide health professionals in their discussions with vaccine-hesitant parents. However, research suggests that taking a presumptive approach, where the health professional uses language that presumes the caregiver will vaccinate the child, is associated with a higher vaccine uptake. Researchers also urge caution when debunking vaccination myths as spending too much time on this can actually reinforce misperceptions in the listener’s mind.39

The value in encouraging vaccine uptake is demonstrated by a US study which warned that a small drop in MMR vaccination levels can have an outsized effect. Mathematical modelling in respect of MMR vaccine coverage in children aged 2-11 found that “a 5% decline in MMR vaccine coverage in the United States would result in an estimated 3-fold increase in measles cases nationally every year.”40

The researchers concluded: “This analysis predicts that even minor reductions in childhood vaccination, driven by vaccine hesitancy (nonmedical and personal belief exemptions), will have substantial public health and economic consequences.”