As a veteran teacher of 15 years, I have had the privilege of meeting a wide variety of students that I have been entrusted to educate. In some cases, those individuals have been students that I have taught who could not receive vaccines due to medical issues, thus relying on others to be vaccinated to keep them safe.

Declining vaccination rates are dangerous to our most vulnerable populations. In Maine, cases of pertussis and chickenpox are on the rise as a direct result of people choosing to not vaccinate their children. Maine has one of the highest vaccine opt out rates in the country, causing our herd immunity to drop to a dangerously low level. The medical and financial tolls that the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases take on families throughout our state are steadily increasing, as more people refuse vaccines.

I have been able to fully protect my four children against some of the deadliest contagious diseases in the world today. Too many people in Maine are refusing to do the same. The vaccination bill that will eliminate non-medical exemptions is essential to protect our vulnerable members and allow them to be educated without fear of contracting preventable diseases.

Amy Magnuson
Falmouth