Elizabeth Ferris

On a scale of “Strongly Agree” (5) to “Strongly Disagree,” (1) rank your position on the following statements: 

Vaccines are safe: 5
Vaccines are effective at preventing disease: 4
Keeping children safe is a shared responsibility: 5

What is your position on West Virginia’s current school vaccine requirements (which allow only medical exemptions)? 

Maintain current requirements

In your view, what role should the state play in ensuring access to vaccines—especially in rural or underserved communities? 

The state should work with local healthcare infrastructure especially in rural areas to make sure that vaccines are delivered in a way that is safe, efficient, and maintains community trust. Coordinating with local leaders is an especially important way to build and maintain trust and awareness.

Which of the following best reflects your understanding? 

Vaccines primarily protect the individual receiving them
Vaccines help protect both individuals and the broader community
Vaccination is largely a personal decision with limited community impact
Vaccination is a personal decision regardless of community impact 

If a preventable disease outbreak (such as measles) occurred in your district, what actions—if any—would you take as a policymaker (e.g., make a statement regarding safety, coordinate with public health officials, take policy actions, encourage vaccination, etc.

I would work with the local healthcare leaders in my area to make sure that they have the resources they need for local outreach and education efforts.

Is there anything else you would like West Virginia voters to know about your approach to public health, community wellbeing, and/or vaccines?

I want to acknowledge that the government response to Covid was far from perfect and left many people with understandable mistrust. But when it comes to highly contagious, serious diseases that especially affect children like measles and pertussis, we have a responsibility to keep our public schools safe. We know that vaccines work by increasing immunity in a community, not just in one person. Parents sending their kids to public school have a right to know that those schools are safe environments, which means following common sense rules around measles, pertussis, and other deadly childhood diseases.