Vaccines

Florida’s surgeon general, spiritual healers and Trump allies push their cures in a swampy outpost of anti-government absolutism and mystical belief in and just east of Venice.

Measles is the most deadly of all childhood rash illnesses, according to the Florida Department of Health. Two children and an adult died this year in a measles outbreak in Texas.

Measles is eliminated in the U.S., but cases are popping up nationwide. Health experts worry that if people skip the vaccine, there will be more outbreaks.

Health experts worry the policy change could lower vaccination rates and lead to a rise in preventable diseases — like polio, which most U.S. doctors have little experience spotting or treating.

As lawmakers prepare legislation to roll back mandates, the surgeon general has floated going one step further: banning mRNA vaccines. Medical experts say that would have public health implications.

Even as some policymakers challenge mandates, public opinion largely favors requirements for at least one vaccine to protect children and the broader community.

Dr. Scott Rivkees, a pediatrician who served as surgeon general from 2019 to 2021 during the COVID pandemic, says the state is going backward when it comes to childhood vaccines.

Speaking with a Houston physician, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo says he doesn't want mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in the state.

At a gathering organized by the UF chapter of the Students for a National Health Program, about 50 people demonstrated against making vaccines voluntary for schoolchildren.

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

U.S. House Democrats from Florida have signed a letter urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to reverse Florida's plans to eliminate school vaccine mandates.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says all shots will still be available in Florida for families who decide their children should receive them. He also expects vaccinations rates will remain high without them being coerced to get them.