Florida’s plans to do away with all state vaccine mandates, including those for children to attend any school, public or private. On Wednesday, State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo made a historic call. Florida has further cemented its reputation as the first state in the U.S. to opt out of vaccination requirements that have historically increased vaccination coverage and reduced the risk of serious infectious disease outbreaks.
Ladapo, a prominent foe of immunization policy, said he would go “to the ends of the earth” to oppose vaccine mandates at a news conference. He announced that Florida’s Department of Health in coordination with the governor’s office will fight to remove every single vaccine mandate from Florida’s statutes. He focused on their plans to strike all of them.
Florida is one of 15 states that permit parents to opt their child out of vaccines for religious reasons. This move further codifies that already harmful policy. As it stands now, the state requires about a half dozen vaccines for children attending school. Fully repealing these requirements would likely result in a significant decrease in vaccination rates for children attending school. It should be a matter of grave concern with the resurgence of preventable diseases such as polio and measles.
We see the importance of vaccines played out in real life by public health experts and interference. To date, they have saved the lives of more than 1.1 million children within the United States. Just as important, vaccines have saved Americans an estimated $540 billion in direct healthcare costs. Research indicates that over the past three decades, vaccines have prevented half a billion illnesses and generated societal savings of $2.7 trillion.
Florida’s decision could set a dangerous precedent for public health across the rest of the region. The state was already far out in front of its southeastern peers when it comes to non-medical vaccine exemptions for kindergartners. Public health advocates are concerned that repealing vaccine mandates will erode herd immunity. This modification has the potential to beget a plethora of distinct resurgence.
Ladapo’s past remarks on vaccines shed more light on his hostile position. Last year, for example, he called on people to stop using mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. He supported his request with debunked claims about their impacts on human DNA. Constructive response His remarks have ignited a firestorm of outrage and controversy in the medical profession.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released research supporting the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing diseases, underscoring the importance of maintaining vaccination programs. With acknowledgement to the central dynamic at play, Florida is making an entirely historic advance. Public health advocates and community members alike will be watching to see what these changes mean for individual and public health.