Vaccines

Some vaccine mandates can be ended by the state health department and others would require legislative action.

The Trump administration’s cuts of public funds to state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of where someone lives, a KFF Health News analysis shows.

On "Florida Matters," we talk about what's behind the drop in childhood vaccination rates in Sarasota County. Plus, how to protect yourself against mosquitoes.

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.

Among more than 20 pediatricians contacted, only one agreed to speak on the record about the risks of measles and the importance of childhood vaccination. Others declined, citing a range of concerns.

Their insurance didn't cover the immunizations for their children, and the cost of the vaccine was more than five times what health officials say it goes for in the private sector.

The measure would seem a premptive strike at a growing industry. No food engineered to include vaccines are approved for use in the U.S., but research using mRNA technology goes back several years.

High vaccination rates can help prevent the spread of severe illnesses like measles and polio. But pediatricians say they're encountering more parents hesitant to get their kids immunized.

RSV was in full swing throughout November, but vaccine levels for it and other respiratory diseases.

Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 spread more effectively in colder temperatures, putting younger children and older adults at greater risk for infection.

Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS worries pediatricians. In Florida, the childhood vaccination rate is decreasing more rapidly under a Surgeon General who is skeptical of vaccines.

Anyone who got sick with COVID-19 during the summer wave in South Florida has some protection against a future infection, but not full protection against germs spreading in fall and winter. Infectious disease experts recommend what shots to get now.