Florida plans to end all state vaccine mandates, including for schools

(Reuters) -Florida plans to end all state vaccine mandates, including for children to attend schools, the state's surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, announced on Wednesday, likening the mandates to "slavery."

"Every last one of the them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," Ladapo said at a press conference in Tampa. "Who am I as a government or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what to do with your body?"

Ladapo made the announcement backed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who made opposing COVID-19 mandates and precautions a central tenet of his first term in office.

All U.S. states have vaccine requirements to attend public schools with exceptions varying by state.

Vaccination rates for several diseases, including measles, diphtheria and polio, decreased among U.S. kindergartners in the 2024-25 school year from the year before, according to federal data.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the new figures in July in the midst of a growing measles outbreak, with confirmed cases that month reaching the highest level since the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.

Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, defended school vaccine mandates, noting the risks presented by close contact in schools.

"When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it’s harder for diseases to spread, and easier for everyone to keep the fun and learning going. When children are sick and miss school, parents also miss work, which not only impacts those families, but also the local economy," Kressly said.

"We are concerned that today's announcement by Governor DeSantis will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community."

President Donald Trump's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has long questioned the safety of vaccines and has promoted the view that vaccines contribute to rising rates of autism, contrary to scientific evidence.

Since taking office earlier this year, Kennedy has taken steps to remake U.S. policy on vaccines, sidelining expert scientific advisers to the federal government and replacing them with people who more closely share his views.

Last week, the CDC's director was ousted after clashing with Kennedy over vaccine policy, prompting the resignation of four of the agency's most senior officials who said they could no longer trust their ability to maintain scientific integrity.

Public-health advocates have also criticized Ladapo for his anti-vaccine stance. He called for ending the use of mRNA coronavirus vaccines last year, and urged communities to stop adding fluoride to drinking water.

CDC data shows that for the 2024-2025 school year, about 5.1% of Florida kindergarteners were exempted from one or more vaccines, or about 11,287 children. As a percentage rate, Florida ranks alongside many other states, though in absolute numbers, it is second only to Texas.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil, Bhargav Acharya and Michele Gershberg; Editing by Franklin Paul and Bill Berkrot)