Nolan Rose

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? 

Insofar as the purpose of government is to protect and serve the people, vaccines are another form of protection from harm that can be reasonably implemented in both urban and rural settings.

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.

Assuming I became the delegate for HD19, if an outbreak of a preventable disease occurred in my district, I would make public announcements to the effect that "Stay safe, follow CDC guidelines, and talk to your doctors for medical concerns." As well as, "This highlights the need for vaccine requirements and adherence." Beyond this, I would receive reports and guidance from experts about the outbreak to see what legislation I could propose to prevent such things from happening again.