Immunizations

The rule changes could take effect by early December, according to the state Department of Health.

The city's chief health officer and the president of the Duval County Medical Society have issued written rebukes of the state's plan to phase out the requirements.

Doctors, medical experts and politicians on both sides of the aisle are pushing back on a plan from Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo to end the mandates.

On "The Florida Roundup," the president of the American College of Physicians said he believes the state not mandating vaccines for children will increase costs for health care.

It would include only chickenpox and a few others unless lawmakers decide to extend it to other diseases.

Teachers voice worries that ending vaccine requirements could bring back preventable illnesses, worsen absenteeism, and endanger medically fragile students.

Surveys indicate that for the relatively small but influential group of Americans who oppose childhood vaccines, concerns about personal freedom and government influence are prominent.

Many parents, doctors and other public health workers worry that diseases controlled by vaccines for decades could resurface.

Herd immunity of close to 95% is needed to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases. And yet, the state continues to see a decline in the vaccination rate among children since the pandemic.

The share of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 3.3%, up from 3% the year before. Meanwhile, 92.7% of kindergartners got their required shots, which is a little lower than the previous two years.

Gov. Ron DeSantis continued to question the science and safety behind the vaccines as he has throughout the pandemic, despite data from the CDC that shows the shots are safe and effective.

Most of Florida’s county school districts did not meet a health department goal of 95% of kindergarten students receiving all doses of all vaccines required for school entry, according to the data. Required shots for seventh-graders are also down.