Florida Is Dropping All Vaccine Mandates, State's Surgeon General Says

"Ladapo is a virulent opponent of reproductive rights. Earlier this year, he threatened to file criminal charges against television stations if they ran an ad about abortion rights. "Who am I, as a government or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body?" he continued. "Our body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God.""

"This week, Florida's surgeon general announced that the state will drop all vaccine requirements, a catastrophic decision that could help usher in epidemics of diseases, like polio, that have been virtually eradicated by vaccines. Currently, all states, including Florida, require children who attend public school to receive vaccines against measles, rubella, polio, whooping cough, and other diseases. "People have a right to make their own decisions," Joseph Ladapo, the state's surgeon general, said on Wednesday."

Florida's surgeon general announced that the state will drop all vaccine requirements, which could enable outbreaks of diseases like polio that vaccines had nearly eliminated. Currently, every state requires schoolchildren to receive vaccinations for measles, rubella, polio, whooping cough, and other diseases. The surgeon general framed the decision as an individual right to choose what to put into one’s body and invoked religious considerations. Critics warn that removing requirements could cause deadly, preventable outbreaks. A 2024 Lancet study estimated that vaccines have saved about 154 million lives since 1974, with 95 percent of those lives among children under five.

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