Health and Me

Itisha Arya

Florida Plans To End Childhood Vaccination Mandates; Doctors Warn Of Severe Impact

florida vaccination mandate

<span>Florida</span> aims to become the first US state to strike vaccine mandates from its laws, including long-standing childhood immunisation rules that cover conditions such as polio for entry into public schools.

The proposal drew sharp criticism across the country, prompting the DeSantis administration to slow its plans. After calling for vaccine requirements to be removed from Florida statutes, officials announced that a public meeting will be held in Northwest Florida so residents can respond.

<h2>Public Meeting Scheduled On Proposed Rule Changes</h2>

The state’s Department of Health has organised a three-hour session in <span>Panama</span> City Beach on 12 December to review possible changes to the rule governing vaccination requirements for public and private schools. The discussion will cover preschools, grades K-12 and adult education programmes, as per BBC.

Officials have not yet explained what revisions they are considering. In September, Surgeon General Dr Joseph Ladapo said he intended to withdraw the vaccines under his department’s jurisdiction. These include shots for Hepatitis B, varicella, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcal disease. Other vaccines, such as those for polio, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps and tetanus, can only be repealed by the state Legislature. As of 26 November, no bill seeking to overturn vaccination requirements had been introduced.

<h2>Surgeon General Compared Mandates To Slavery</h2>

During a 3 September press event in Valrico, Hillsborough County, Ladapo appeared alongside Governor Ron DeSantis, Lt Governor Jay Collins and other state leaders, including Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas. They declared their intention to remove all vaccine mandates in Florida, as per BBC.

“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said at the time.

The announcement accompanied the launch of a state version of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which will be led by First Lady Casey DeSantis. At the national level, the MAHA programme is overseen by US Health and Human Services Secretary <span>Robert F Kennedy Jr</span>, who has been assigned to study chronic illness and develop an action plan for reducing childhood diseases, as per Kennedy has previously been linked to vaccine misinformation.

Casey DeSantis expressed her support at the same press conference. “A lot of these drugs, you don’t need them if you live a healthy lifestyle. If you’re eating fruits and vegetables, you can reverse a lot of these chronic conditions,” she said.

<h2>Doctors Raise Concerns Over The Plan</h2>

The announcement drew immediate criticism from national medical bodies and clinicians throughout the United States.

“We are concerned that today’s announcement by Gov DeSantis will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community,” said Dr <span>Susan J Kressly</span>, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, speaking on behalf of the American Medical Association, urged the state to reconsider. “While there is still time, we urge Florida to reconsider this change to help prevent a rise of infectious disease outbreaks that put health and lives at risk,” she said.

<h2>Florida’s Declining Vaccination Rates</h2>

Florida’s kindergarten vaccination rate dropped to 90.6 percent in 2024, the lowest level in more than ten years. Public health experts say that for highly contagious infections such as measles, communities require a rate of at least 95 percent to prevent outbreaks.

Cases of whooping cough have increased sharply. From 1 January to 15 November 2025, the state recorded 1,415 cases, compared with 577 in the same period the previous year, according to the Department of Health’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report.

Children entering public schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade are currently required to have at least four doses of the TDAP vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. Religious exemptions are permitted if a family states that immunisation conflicts with their beliefs, as per Herald Tribune.

As of April 2025, the Department of Health estimated that 6.39 percent of children aged five to seventeen held religious exemptions. The true figure may be higher, since parents may withhold data from the Florida SHOTS system, the state’s secure online immunisation database used by healthcare providers.

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Florida aims to become the first US state to strike vaccine mandates from its laws, including long-standing childhood immunisation rules that cover conditions such as polio for entry into public schools.The proposal drew sharp criticism across the country, prompting the DeSantis administration to slow its plans. After calling for vaccine requirements to be removed from Florida statutes, officials announced that a public meeting will be held in Northwest Florida so residents can respond.Public Meeting Scheduled On Proposed Rule ChangesThe state’s Department of Health has organised a three-hour session in Panama City Beach on 12 December to review possible changes to the rule governing vaccination requirements for public and private schools. The discussion will cover preschools, grades K-12 and adult education programmes, as per BBC.Officials have not yet explained what revisions they are considering. In September, Surgeon General Dr Joseph Ladapo said he intended to withdraw the vaccines under his department’s jurisdiction. These include shots for Hepatitis B, varicella, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcal disease. Other vaccines, such as those for polio, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps and tetanus, can only be repealed by the state Legislature. As of 26 November, no bill seeking to overturn vaccination requirements had been introduced.Surgeon General Compared Mandates To SlaveryDuring a 3 September press event in Valrico, Hillsborough County, Ladapo appeared alongside Governor Ron DeSantis, Lt Governor Jay Collins and other state leaders, including Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas. They declared their intention to remove all vaccine mandates in Florida, as per BBC.“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said at the time.The announcement accompanied the launch of a state version of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which will be led by First Lady Casey DeSantis. At the national level, the MAHA programme is overseen by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has been assigned to study chronic illness and develop an action plan for reducing childhood diseases, as per Kennedy has previously been linked to vaccine misinformation.Casey DeSantis expressed her support at the same press conference. “A lot of these drugs, you don’t need them if you live a healthy lifestyle. If you’re eating fruits and vegetables, you can reverse a lot of these chronic conditions,” she said.Doctors Raise Concerns Over The PlanThe announcement drew immediate criticism from national medical bodies and clinicians throughout the United States.“We are concerned that today’s announcement by Gov DeSantis will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community,” said Dr Susan J Kressly, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics.Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, speaking on behalf of the American Medical Association, urged the state to reconsider. “While there is still time, we urge Florida to reconsider this change to help prevent a rise of infectious disease outbreaks that put health and lives at risk,” she said.Florida’s Declining Vaccination RatesFlorida’s kindergarten vaccination rate dropped to 90.6 percent in 2024, the lowest level in more than ten years. Public health experts say that for highly contagious infections such as measles, communities require a rate of at least 95 percent to prevent outbreaks.Cases of whooping cough have increased sharply. From 1 January to 15 November 2025, the state recorded 1,415 cases, compared with 577 in the same period the previous year, according to the Department of Health’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report.Children entering public schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade are currently required to have at least four doses of the TDAP vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. Religious exemptions are permitted if a family states that immunisation conflicts with their beliefs, as per Herald Tribune.As of April 2025, the Department of Health estimated that 6.39 percent of children aged five to seventeen held religious exemptions. The true figure may be higher, since parents may withhold data from the Florida SHOTS system, the state’s secure online immunisation database used by healthcare providers.