Amy Agostino

I've been a nurse for 30+ years. This is one of the most harmful health bills I've seen. Childhood vaccine mandates exist as a broad public health measure against diseases like polio, mumps, rubella, measles, diptheria, pertussis, and more. Vaccines for these diseases save lives. Medical exceptions exist and should be recognized, but we must keep these infectious diseases at bay by continuing to vaccinate against them. Surely, you have plenty of medical evidence submitted already. But let's take a quick look at just measles: There is a vaccine which is 97% effective after 2 doses. This is an almost unmatched medical accomplishment. Especially important because measles is the most contagious childhood disease we have. Picture the rom you're sitting in. Now imagine that 2 hours ago, someone with measles walked through that room. The measles virus can remain airborne and viable for two hours. 95-99% of susceptible people WILL contract measles when exposed to it; the average measles case will infect 18 other people. So, anyone unvaccinated or immune compromised in the room with you now will contract measles because of the person from two hours ago they never saw or knew about. I could go on about the other unique feature of measles, which is the "immune amnesia" it causes in the majority of cases. That means that if you get measles, it will erase your immune system's memory of other vaccines you've had or illnesses you experienced and built immunity to. Measles is a public health catastrophe - and it is jut ONE of the infectious diseases that will sicken and kill New Hampshire residents if this bill passes. Please do the right thing and kill this bill on sight.