Danita Neilhaus: WV shouldn't weaken vaccination requirements (Opinion)

Charleston Gazette-Mail

As a school nurse in Kanawha County, I am proud of how West Virginia sets a positive example for immunization requirements.

We are on the front line when new students enroll. They do not pass go until they are vaccinated. If vaccines aren’t current, we work with families, the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and area physicians to establish a catch-up schedule.

Why? Immunizations are a public health miracle. Rarely do we hear of outbreaks of measles, mumps, varicella (chicken pox) or any of the other childhood diseases once common.