Michael Mosteller II
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: 5
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?
I think we need to continue to implement our very effective vaccine policy which allows for medical exemptions only. I believe that as a state, we’ve done a poor job of communicating the efficacy of vaccinations and dispelling misinformation and disinformation that has arisen from public skepticism. You can’t blame the public for being poorly informed when the state isn’t doing a great job at making clear, concise communications on the matter. We should also work with physicians across the state to reiterate how important their role is in the informed part of informed consent.
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 reach out to the AMA and ask for some of the most effective tools they have found to convince parents to vaccinate their children. As a parent of an immune compromised child myself (my child was able to be vaccinated), I’m acutely aware of the need for vaccination and obtaining herd immunity through vaccines, not through illness.
Is there anything else you would like West Virginia voters to know about your approach to public health, community wellbeing, and/or vaccines?
I understand why public trust in institutions is shaken and I empathize with the fears of a parent. It is unfortunate that some bad actors push sensationalized claims using pseudoscientific jargon - enough to sound educated to the lay person like myself - but never enough to be able to stand up to peer reviewed scrutiny. These people have an agenda. Local and state leaders have failed you in terms of providing educational materials and dispelling myths and half truths about vaccinations and we need to be providing helpful, truthful information to soothe public concerns.
