Doctors have urged Florida policymakers to reject plans to end childhood vaccine mandates, with others claiming they are being silenced on the matter by their institutions.
On 3 September, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced that “the Florida health department is going to be working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law.” He said, “Who am I, as a government or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body?”
The announcement builds on the decision by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during the covid-19 pandemic to reject vaccine and mask mandates for schools and workplaces.
Florida is scheduled to end mandates for the hepatitis B, chickenpox, haemophilus influenza type b, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in December. The state’s health department said this will go into effect 90 days after the 3 September announcement.
But before mandates can be removed for other vaccines, including those for measles, the change must be endorsed by the Florida legislature, whose next session starts in January 2026.
Such a move is being …
