Dr. Rana Alissa was caring for sick infants at the hospital where she works when she received a call from a colleague with “bad news.” Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, her colleague said, announced that Florida would become the first state in the country to make school vaccinations optional. Specifically, vaccines for diseases such as hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib, influenza, and pneumococcal diseases, including meningitis, would no longer be required for school attendance.
“My jaw dropped,” Alissa, who is also the president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told Salon in a phone interview. “I did not expect this major news to happen in our state.”
While there has been some discussion and controversy about vaccines, she said, to announce a cancellation to the mandate is “extreme.”
“You remove the vaccine,” she said. “You risk life, it’s very simple.”
The Florida state Department of Health currently requires students to be vaccinated against multiple diseases to attend school. Despite decades of evidence showing that vaccines can eliminate disease and save lives, Ladapo compared vaccine mandates in schools to “slavery” while announcing the plans. He vowed to end “all of them, every last one of them.”
The effort to repeal will be a piecemeal one. The first vaccine mandates to be reversed would be for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib influenza, and pneumococcal diseases, as that can be directly done by the state health department. Under Florida law, other mandated vaccinations would have to be reversed through legislation. As reported by the Associated Press, the health department said changes won’t take place for at least 90 days.
Requiring vaccines to receive an education in the United States is not a new concept. In 1855, Massachusetts became the first state to require that children receive a smallpox vaccine before attending school. By 1963, 20 U.S. states required children to have several vaccines; today, all 50 states have vaccine requirements.
While some states like Florida permit religious or personal exemptions, these school mandates have played a significant role in the fight against many infectious diseases. One of the greatest successes was the elimination of polio thanks to the polio vaccine. Despite successes and medical advancements, immunization rates have been on the decline in the face of increasingly partisan views on vaccine requirements, according to KFF, a nonprofit that focuses on health policy research.
While Alissa said she and her colleagues are extremely concerned and disappointed, she believes “good always comes out of the bad.” Medical professionals in Florida, and around the country, are joining together to “fight” this announcement and “push back,” she said.
“I have never seen surgeons, pediatricians, internists, family physicians, all of us, I can count all the specialties, come together like this,” Alissa said. “You have the societies and organizations in our state releasing statements saying the importance of vaccines and the importance of vaccine mandates in our schools, because that keeps the public safe.”
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Indeed, the Florida Medical Association released a statement representing 23,000 doctors stating they “unequivocally” support the “vaccination and immunization of school-aged children.”
The American Lung Association emphasized it’s “committed to protecting lung health for all and routinely recommends vaccines to protect against respiratory diseases,” in light of the news. “We vigorously oppose Florida’s plans to end vaccine requirements, which will put Floridians’ health at risk—especially the nearly 250,000 children in Florida living with asthma,” the association said.
Dr. Gary
“With the order set to kick in 90 days from the announcement, people are left wondering what the near and long-term consequences will be on public health and the certainty of a resurgence in vaccine preventable diseases once largely eradicated in this country,” Kramer said. “Pediatricians and schools will play a pivotal role in how this plays out.”
It’s not just medical professionals who are concerned about the repeal.
Following the announcement, the Florida Education Association, a group representing more than 120,000 school teachers and administrators in the state, condemned it. “State leaders say they care about reducing chronic absenteeism and keeping kids in school — but reducing vaccinations does the opposite, putting our children’s health and education at risk,” the statement said.
The Duval County Medical Society said it’s ready to work with “lawmakers, educators, and community leaders to preserve vaccination protections, to educate families, and to strengthen public trust.” Dr. Ali Kasraeian, president of the Duval County Medical Society, said its priority will be to “protect children and families through evidence-based care.”
And everyone is encouraging those concerned to call their lawmakers.
“Call and discuss the detrimental effect of this decision on the health of the children and the health of the public in general,” Alissa said. “We are personally contacting our politicians, as well as our organizations.”
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According to Naples Daily News, many hospitals in the state will also still be encouraging patients to follow the guidance of their doctors when it comes to vaccines, even if mandates are rolled back.
The concerns about a vaccine mandate rollback are urgent, Alissa said. “Vaccines save lives,” she said. “You remove the vaccine, you risk life, it’s very simple.” Alissa added that the rollback could overwhelm the healthcare systems in Florida financially and health-wise, leading to increased morbidity and mortality rates. It could also worsen the shortage of physicians in the state, adding yet another strain on the state’s healthcare system.
“Now we’re going to have to admit tons more patients, take care of them, and treat them while we already barely have the capacity to take care of what we have,” she said. “That is my concern, losing life and overwhelming a system that’s already overwhelmed.”
