Anita Klein

I am very concerned about this bill that would prohibit state agencies and political subdivisions from advertising or expending funds to advertise vaccines in New Hampshire. For many centuries, vaccination has been a critical part of preventing dangerous and potentially lethal outbreaks ofviral and bacterial diseases. As recently highlighted in the documentary series "The American Revolution - by Ken Burns, smallpox was decimating the American troops during the Revolutionary War. After General Washington sent a select group of 'immune' troops into Boston in 1776, without an outbreak of smallpox, he decided to have all of the Revolutionary Army vaccinated. Modern vaccines are much safer than the crude vaccines Washington used. Vaccination against polio, pertussis, measles, mumps, and other childhood diseases has protected people in the US from major outbreaks of these diseases. Some of these diseases killed or disabled children ( i.e., Helen Keller, or the many survivors of Polio) before 1955. Vaccinations protect many older people from serious and painful bouts (shingles) or lessen the symptoms of seasonal flu. However, today, mass misinformation on social media and the White House is scaring people about vaccination safety. Public safety messages are essential to combatmisinformation about vaccination,\ and to encourage people to get themselves and their children vaccinated. Does NH want to see a measles outbreak, like the one in Texas, where unvaccinated children died this past winter? Kill HB1616