Florida plans to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates in state first

Florida announced on Wednesday it would work to eliminate all vaccine mandates, a move that would make it the first state to dismantle a longtime cornerstone of US public health policy.

The state's Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who announced the decision, told a news conference that forcing vaccine mandates amounted to an "immoral" intrusion on people's rights and parent's ability to make decisions for their children.

"All of them. All of them," Ladapo said during a news conference before applause. "Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," he added.

Florida currently holds strict requirements for vaccinations — including shots for measles, chickenpox, hepatitis B, polio and other diseases — for students attending public school and child day care facilities.

Ladapo said the department was able to move to scrap its own rules for some mandates. Others would require amendment via Florida's Legislature.

Republican-led Florida also announced the establishment of the Florida Make America Healthy Again commission, which is set to integrate the Trump administration's "Make American Healthy Again" effort on a state-level.

Dr Robert Malone, recently appointed to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's independent vaccine advisory wrote on X that Lapado is a "measured scientist who is on fire to change the system for the better."

Both Malone and US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr have been critical of vaccines, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic where they opposed restrictions and promoted misinformation about vaccinations and public health.

'Ripple effects'

Lapado's announcement drew outcry from US medical organisations who highlighted the importance of vaccinations, particularly for children.

"We are concerned that today's announcement by Gov. DeSantis will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community," President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Susan Kressly, said.

The American Medical Association issued a statement saying Florida's plan to end vaccine mandates "would undermine decades of public health progress."

According to 2024 data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives globally over the past 50 years, the majority infants and children.

Lapado didn't give a timeline for the proposal, but said the department would work with lawmakers alongside Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis to implement the change.

"I love our lawmakers. They're going to have to make decisions … People are going to have to make a decision," he said. "People are going to have to choose a side. And I am telling you right now that the moral side is so simple."