Even the most rational, cool-headed parent dreads their child’s first vaccinations. I had no doubt about the benefits of immunisation for my one-year-old daughter’s future health, yet at our first appointment, the scream she made when the needle went into her tiny, chubby thigh made me weep (which then set the nurse off).

Nevertheless, the alarming recent recurrence of measles in the UK and Europe is a reminder that the protection the injections gave her were worth the short-term trauma.

Measles, which had virtually disappeared in the UK and much of the developed world, is returning with a vengeance, despite the fact we’ve had a cheap and effective vaccine for it since the 1960s.