West Virginia previously had some of the highest vaccination rates in the country. A recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on kindergarten vaccination exemptions cited the state as having the lowest exemption rate in the country, and the best vaccination rates for kids that age.

The West Virginia Senate approved a bill on February 21, 2025, allowing religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions for schools, marking a departure from one of the nation's strictest vaccination policies.

A bill to create a religious exemption for school children's vaccination requirements has passed the West Virginia Senate.

The West Virginia Senate passed a bill allowing vaccination exemptions in public schools to accommodate religious conviction or moral grounds.