Florida move to end some school vaccine mandates alarms parents and health experts

Florida parents and medical experts warned that a push by the state’s surgeon general to end school vaccine mandates could put vulnerable children at increased risk of vaccine-preventable disease, as officials outlined plans to lift requirements for several childhood shots and critics pointed to broader turmoil in federal vaccine policy.

Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced earlier this month that he would seek to remove vaccine mandates in the state, saying parents should have a choice about vaccinations. The Florida Department of Health told the Associated Press that in 90 days it would lift school mandates for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines. Further changes to other vaccine requirements would require revisions to the Florida Administrative Code and action by the state legislature.

The announcement has prompted alarm among families of immunocompromised children. Cammi Norwood, whose 4-year-old son Mason has Stage 4 kidney disease and is immunocompromised, said she is reconsidering sending him to public school next year after Ladapo’s statement. "It's just scary," she said, adding that Mason could become very ill if exposed to measles or other vaccine-preventable infections.

Medical groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose the plan, and public health experts warned it could lead to localized outbreaks. Scott Rivkees, Florida’s former surgeon general and a professor at the University School of Public Health, said the state could see "pockets of outbreaks" and that older or immunocompromised people "are going to be afraid to go out into public."

Other parents and advocates applauded the proposal. Dana Fernandez, who moved to Florida in part because New York does not allow religious vaccine exemptions, said she supported parental choice and was "delighted" by the policy.

Public opinion polls suggest most parents favor school vaccine requirements. A recent KFF survey found about 80% of parents in Florida and across the United States support vaccine requirements for public schools.

Health officials and clinicians cited recent increases in vaccine-preventable illnesses in Florida. Meghan Martin, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida, said she has seen more outbreaks in recent years. State data show pertussis cases rose to more than 700 in 2024 from 85 in 2023, and the United States has been dealing with one of its worst measles outbreaks in decades, which has included three deaths, two of them children in Texas.

Ladapo has characterized mandates as a restriction on parental choice, likening them to "slavery" in public remarks. His office did not provide further detail when asked by the BBC, and Ladapo told CNN his department had not analyzed how lifting mandates might affect outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses, adding: "Do I need to analyze whether it's appropriate for parents to be able to decide what goes into their children's bodies? I don't need to do an analysis on that."

The Florida move is taking place amid broader shifts in federal vaccine policy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who leads the Department of Health and Human Services and is a vocal vaccine skeptic, has pressed to remake U.S. vaccine policy since taking office. His tenure has included the dismissal of agency officials, the removal of members from an independent vaccine advisory committee and changes to COVID-19 booster guidance. Last week Kennedy fired the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez, a decision that prompted the resignation of other public health officials and public criticism from former CDC staff.

Demetre Daskalakis, a former CDC official who resigned in protest after Monarez’s ouster, said the changes at the federal level have created confusion for families and providers. When patients are uncertain about guidance, he said, their typical response is "to do nothing" — a behavior he warned could lead to "more infections, more hospitalizations, more disability and more death."

Rivkees and other public health leaders said Kennedy’s positions have amplified efforts by state officials like Ladapo. "When you have somebody in Washington ... doing things to undermine vaccination at many different levels, this certainly will hit a resonant chord for individuals who are like minded," Rivkees said.

Rana Alissa, president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the state would not be attempting such changes if the federal leader were "supportive of scientists and experts." She warned the policy shift was being watched beyond Florida and said, "It's dangerous … It's going to cost lives."

Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has backed Ladapo's approach. The state's policy decisions and their downstream effects on vaccination coverage and disease incidence will be closely monitored by public health authorities, hospitals and families weighing school attendance and other activities for children at heightened risk from infectious disease.

Any further changes to vaccine law in Florida would require administrative or legislative steps, and public health officials said the timing and full scope of policy shifts remain uncertain. Health care providers and advocacy groups called for clear communication and data-driven analysis to assess how altered requirements would affect vaccine uptake and community protection against preventable diseases.