Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo proposes ending vaccine mandates in state schools

In a controversial move, Florida announced plans to end vaccine mandates for children in school. According to Reuters, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the state’s surgeon general, likened the mandates to "slavery" in a press conference on Wednesday. The announcement aligns with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' stance against COVID-19 mandates.

“People have a right to make their own decisions,” Dr. Ladapo said, according to The Guardian. “Who am I, as a government or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body? Our body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God.”

Currently, all US states require vaccinations for children entering public schools, though exceptions vary, Reuters says. Florida's plan to eliminate these mandates comes as vaccination rates for diseases like measles and polio saw a decline among US kindergartners in the 2024-25 school year, according to federal data that Reuters referenced. As reported by The Guardian, the decision could mark Florida as the first state to repeal school vaccination requirements completely, noted Dorit Reiss, a professor specializing in vaccine law at the University of California, San Francisco.

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Public health concerns amid dwindling trust in the CDC

According to Reuters, Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, criticized the decision, stressing that vaccinated school environments slow disease spread. "When children are sick and miss school, parents also miss work, impacting families and the local economy," she said in Reuters’ report. 

Ladapo and DeSantis received criticism for their stance against scientific advice, The Guardian says. Routine childhood vaccinations are said to be proven effective, preventing millions of illnesses and hospitalizations, according to federal CDC data.

Despite these concerns, a growing portion of public opinion has shifted away from trusting “scientific advice,” due to last year’s scandal regarding Dr. Anthony Fauci and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to USA Today, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases admitted that the CDC-recommended 6-foot “social distancing” rule was not supported by science during his testimony in front of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. 

While no specific timeline was provided, Ladapo expressed the intention to work with lawmakers to enact his new policy change in Florida.