(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

After a few weeks back in the classroom, chances are good that many families have experienced the consequences of their children returning to such a germ-friendly environment. It should make most of them grateful for the vaccines that cut down on instances of diseases that are a lot more serious than a case of the sniffles.

Students don’t go to school worried about polio, tetanus, measles or chicken pox anymore. For many families, the availability of COVID-19 vaccines has proved a blessing as well. But here in West Virginia, there is still more reason to worry than in most other states. WalletHub’s report on “2023’s States that Vaccinate the Most” puts the Mountain State at 42nd overall.

That’s a problem because, as WalletHub points out, “Vaccines are most effective when a large portion of the population gets them.”

We are a reprehensible 49th for children and teenagers immunization rates, yet 27th for adult and elderly vaccination rates. We are 50th for immunization uptake disparities and influencing factors — that measure looked at the change in children aged 19-35 months immunization uptake, share of children in that age group living in poverty that had the combined 7-vaccine series, share of people without health insurance, share of the population living in a Primary Care/Health Professional Shortage Area, and the share of the population participating in an immunization information system.

West Virginia is also 47th for the influenza vaccination rate in children 6 months to 17 years.

These awful rankings come despite West Virginia requiring students going into grades K-12 to show proof of immunization against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B; and students going into grades 7 through 12 to show proof of immunization against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and meningococcal disease. Those requirements are supposed to be waived only if a child has a medical exemption.

So what gives? Is it social media conspiracy theories? A philosophical and “political” shift? Just plain indifference on the part of too many adults? Whatever the reason, it’s a dangerous game to be playing.

In a state where politicians have bent over backward to convince us how much they value life, it would seem widespread use of one of the means we have to protect young people (and all of us, really) would be a top priority. Politicians and others who believe they are gaining political points and cementing their influence by doing otherwise should be ashamed of themselves.