West Virginia Must Keep Immunization Laws Strong

By Sissy Price
As a registered nurse, I stay informed about healthcare news, and I can’t help but be alarmed by what I recently made headlines. A measles outbreak occurred in one of Texas’s least vaccinated counties, highlighting just how quickly preventable diseases can resurface. As a healthcare professional, it’s deeply concerning to see how easily these diseases can spread when herd immunity is weakened. This serves as a stark reminder that if we lose herd immunity, diseases like measles could return to West Virginia.
I grew up hearing about the devastating impact of diseases like polio and measles on families in our community. But it wasn’t just stories—I saw it firsthand. My family has lived for generations with the painful reality of how diseases can tear lives apart. I witnessed the crippling effects of polio through my great uncle, a disease that is now preventable through vaccination. Polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases must never disrupt lives again. Now, as a nurse, I can clearly see how bills like SB 460, which would weaken our state’s immunization laws, threaten to take West Virginia backward, exposing families to unnecessary harm.
Thanks to strong immunization policies, I’ve never had to worry about facing those fears, and my children won’t either. However, proposed legislation allowing exemptions for personal beliefs and religious reasons jeopardizes that progress. It puts our children, and the entire community, at risk.
Immunization isn’t just a personal choice—when someone opts out of vaccination, it doesn’t only affect them—it puts everyone at risk, especially those who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons.
Weakening our immunization laws would undo the progress we’ve made over decades. These laws have kept diseases like polio and measles at bay, saving lives and protecting our children. We cannot afford to go backward.
Our children deserve a future free from preventable diseases. Let’s stand strong and keep our immunization laws intact by saying no to harmful bills like SB 460. By doing so, we’re ensuring a healthier, safer future for all West Virginians. We owe it to our children—and to ourselves.
Sissy K. Price, BSN- RN is the co-founder of West Virginia Families for Immunizations, former administrator of the Braxton County Health Department/County Health Nurse and currently Infection Control Coordinator at WVU Medicine BCMH and SRMC.