Severe outbreaks of measles and whooping cough over winter have pushed up New Zealand's toddler immunisation rates to a record 91 percent high.
The Ministry of Health says an increasing number of parents who opted out of vaccination programmes have since signed their kids up following serious nationwide disease outbreaks over the colder months.
As a young parent, Hamilton mother Ally Edwards-Lasenby declined the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine for her young son Cameron after being told the jab had been linked to autism.
The research has since been discredited but in the meantime Cameron, now 13, was hospitalised with measles during the 2011 outbreak and will take another six months to fully recover.
Ms Edwards-Lasenby, a kindergarten teacher, says she regrets not researching her decision to opt out more thoroughly.
"If you make a decision like I did, it is really important that you go back later and revisit it, because in this case the doctor behind the research had been struck off," she said.
The ministry's national programme manager for immunisation, David Wansbrough, said the number of parents opting out had dropped from six percent three years ago to less than four percent.
He credited the drop to the measles and whooping cough outbreaks, which hospitalised 90 people and 73 young babies respectively.
"Unfortunately, we are still getting outbreaks of these preventable diseases and that has reminded people how serious these diseases can be," Mr Wansbrough said.
Of the parents who aren't getting their children immunised, some have chosen not to, some have valid medical reasons for abstaining and others simply forgot or didn't think it was necessary, he said.
"District health boards and health professionals have been working hard to reach these different groups, so this result is encouraging for all immunisation providers, particularly nurses who take the time to talk to parents about diseases and immunisation," Mr Wansbrough said.
NZN