Immunisation and public health: why we are all in it together

The measles outbreak at Disneyland in California earlier this year and the outbreak in Wales in 2012-13 which infected over 1000 people, have made vaccination and herd immunity hot topics in the healthcare community and the public alike. Never has there been a time where anti- and pro-vaccine propaganda has been most prevalent in the media and on the Internet. When choosing whether to vaccinate a child, parents are being bombarded with conflicting messages, making it confusing, emotional and altogether overwhelming to make a decision. This article discusses approaches that can be used to support parents in their vaccine decision-making.