(CNN) — For parents in Somalia, giving their children
immunizations is not a choice. In a country enduring more than
20 years of conflict, Somalia is home to one of the highest
child mortality rates in the world, with one in five Somali
children dying before their 5th birthday, aid agencies say — in
many instances, from diseases that could be prevented by
vaccines. Yet for some equally loving parents in the developed
world, the messages surrounding childhood vaccination have
become muddied. Some communities in areas previously considered
disease-free are now falling below the levels of “herd immunity”
required to protect against diseases such as measles, whooping
cough and mumps. This week, in Swansea, Wales, the local public
health agency announced that 886 people have been diagnosed with
measles in an epidemic that started in November. The outbreak
has been attributed to low measles, mumps and rubella
immunization rates. One man’s death has been linked to the
measles virus, while 80 people have been hospita