Florida planning to eliminate all mandatory vaccinations for children

In a move that has sparked debate among health professionals and politicians, Florida's State Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has announced plans to eliminate vaccine mandates for child day care facilities and public schools, following a decision that was resisted during the COVID-19 pandemic under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Florida Health Department's website lists a range of vaccines that are currently required for children, including those for measles, chickenpox, hepatitis B, diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis, polio, and other diseases. However, Dr. Ladapo has stated that the department can scrap its own rules for some vaccine mandates.

The commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, will delve into various issues such as allowing informed consent in medical matters, promoting safe and nutritious food, boosting parental rights in medical decisions about their children, and eliminating "medical orthodoxy that is not supported by the data."

The commission's work will help inform a large "medical freedom package" to be introduced in the Legislature next session, addressing vaccine mandates and making permanent the recent state COVID decisions relaxing restrictions.

This decision is a notable embrace of the Trump administration's agenda, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist. Kennedy Jr. is the chairman of the state "Make America Healthy Again" commission announced by Governor Ron DeSantis.

The American Medical Association and Dr. Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, an AMA trustee, have urged Florida to reconsider the change, citing concerns about a potential rise in infectious disease outbreaks. Dr. Rana Alissa, chair of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, echoed these concerns, stating that removing vaccines puts students and school staff at greater risk.

On the other hand, Dr. Ladapo has frequently clashed with the medical establishment. He described current requirements as immoral intrusions and repeated that the effort would end "all of them. Every last one of them." without specifying particular vaccines.

The World Health Organization reported that vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives globally over the past 50 years, with the majority being infants and children. Vaccines, according to WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, are among the most powerful inventions in history, making once-feared diseases preventable.

Removing vaccines, according to Dr. Rana Alissa, could make it harder for diseases to not spread and could lead to missed school and work, impacting families and the local economy. Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani described Florida's decision as reckless and dangerous, potentially causing outbreaks of preventable diseases.

In response, Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon, and California announced the creation of an alliance to safeguard health policies, citing politicization of public health decisions.

As the commission continues its work, the future of vaccine mandates in Florida remains uncertain, with debate continuing among health professionals, politicians, and the general public.