Florida is proposing to eliminate mandates for four childhood vaccines required for school and daycare attendance, a move that comes as childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide. The state's health department put forward a proposal that would no longer require children to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and pneumococcal disease to attend school or daycare.
The proposal also seeks to broaden religious exemptions, allowing parents to opt out of vaccination requirements based on 'moral and ethical' beliefs. Additionally, parents and college students would have the option to decline having their information entered into a statewide vaccination database.
These proposed changes would not stop parents from obtaining the recommended vaccines for their children. The current requirements for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), polio, diphtheria, and tetanus vaccines would remain in place.
This initiative follows a statement made by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo nearly a year ago, when he announced plans to end "all of them" school vaccine requirements, calling them "wrong and drips with disdain and slavery."
The proposal is now undergoing a 21-day public comment period before lawmakers review feedback and make a final decision.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has expressed concerns, with AAP President Dr. Susan J. Kressly stating that widespread vaccination in schools makes it harder for diseases to spread. She noted that when children miss school due to illness, parents also miss work, impacting families and the local economy. "We are concerned that today’s announcement … will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community," Kressly said.
Dr. Eehab Kenaway, a pediatrician in Panama City, Florida, acknowledged that religious exemptions already exist but cautioned against sending a message that vaccines are unimportant. "You're not forced. But sending a message to the general public that vaccines are not important, vaccines are not needed, is not the way to do it," he stated.
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas has supported the proposed changes, suggesting they would offer parents more choices. This action aligns with a broader trend in Florida to loosen requirements, including a recent warning from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to private Catholic schools regarding religious exemptions for vaccine requirements.
The proposed changes occur against a backdrop of declining childhood vaccination rates nationally. Data from the CDC shows that vaccination coverage for kindergarteners has decreased. For instance, 92.4 percent of kindergarteners have received both doses of the MMR vaccine, down from 95 percent during the 2019-2020 school year. Nationwide, MMR exemptions have risen to 4.2 percent, a significant increase from 1.6 percent a decade ago.
In Florida, 89 percent of kindergarteners have received both MMR doses, a 4.6 percent decrease from the 2019-2020 school year. The state's exemption rate has risen to six percent, an increase of 2.5 percent from the same period.
The CDC estimates that vaccines have prevented millions of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths among children born between 1994 and 2023. There is no scientific evidence to support claims that vaccines contain aborted fetal tissue or cells.