Immunizations

For some people, the math of a mortgage doesn’t add up the way it used to. We were curious about the financial pressures homeowners are currently facing in Florida.

The state department of health is holding a hearing on the rule change Thursday, Oct. 8 in Orlando. Commenters have two minutes each to speak.

Most immunizations are mandated by legislation in Florida, but more recent vaccines dating to the 1980s and 1990s are governed by rules from the state health department, which are easier to change.

The state is moving forward with its push to end the requirement for four vaccines for children entering schools but has removed the words “sincerely held moral or ethical belief” from a proposed rule change.

As part of the state surgeon general's push for "medical freedom," Florida wants to change rules that require four vaccines for schools, daycare and adult education programs.

The disease was declared eliminated from the US in 2000, but outbreaks have increased in recent years as vaccine skepticism rises.

A state plan would remove mandates on schoolchildren receiving shots for chickenpox, hepatitis B, Hib and pneumococcal disease. Comments can be made through Sept. 14.

The president's executive order advocates for the split of the MMR vaccine into three shots, directs the government to research vaccine safety, and directs all states to provide religious and medical exemptions.

Gov. Ron DeSantis called lawmakers back to address the vaccination issue in the special session that starts Tuesday. He also wants to pass artificial intelligence regulations and a new congressional districts map.

There have been no new cases in Collier County, the epicenter of a measles outbreak that began in January at Ave Maria University, since March 28.

Florida aimed to become the first state in the nation to end all vaccine mandates. But lawmakers failed to agree on a path forward.

The appeal comes as the nation is at risk of losing its measles elimination status and as Oz's boss, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has raised suspicion about the safety and importance of vaccines.