Vaccine hesitancy: Moving practice beyond binary vaccination outcomes in community pharmacy

Abstract

Unequivocally, vaccinations can be considered one of the greatest global achievements for public health. Since the introduction of the first vaccines, vaccination programs have contributed to a substantial decline in both mortality and morbidity of many previously lethal infectious diseases around the globe. However, high and sustained vaccine uptake is necessary for these efforts to remain successful. Beyond the direct protection provided for vaccinated individuals, high vaccine coverage also induces indirect protection against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) at a population level through herd immunity. Yet despite consensus on the public health benefits of vaccination, recent reports of clustered outbreaks and the resurgence of VPDs in under- or nonimmunized groups highlight the ongoing challenges.