Florida’s government is moving forward with a plan that would relieve certain children in the state of mandatory vaccine requirements, following Governor Ron DeSantis’ declaration that Florida should be the first place nationwide to scrap all school‑related immunization standards.
Many doctors, including pediatricians and specialists in infectious diseases, as well as educators, have voiced strong objections to the move, arguing that vaccines have long been a foundational element of public health, keeping both kids and adults protected from serious, but avoidable illnesses.
Public health experts warn that eliminating these requirements could spark a dangerous rebound of childhood diseases that had otherwise been curbed, effectively reversing one of the most remarkable public health milestones in history.
On Friday, a diverse group of parents, medical professionals, teachers, and advocates gathered in a hotel conference room in Panama City Beach to speak out against a proposal from the Florida Department of Health. The plan would remove the school entry requirement for Florida children to receive the hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines, whether they attend public or private K‑12 schools.
The same proposal would also eliminate the requirement for the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for youngsters in childcare settings.
Other vaccine mandates that currently cover polio, mumps, tetanus, and several other diseases are enshrined in state law and would need a formal legislative amendment to be altered.
Dr. Eehab Kenawy, a pediatrician based in Panama City, recounted two unvaccinated children treated at his hospital over the past six months. Both contracted Hib, a disease that can lead to severe infections and brain swelling.
“One child unfortunately succumbed at four months of age. No vaccines,” Kenawy explained.
He described the mother of a 2½‑year‑old Hib patient pleading for her girl to receive every vaccine after a severe brain infection developed.
“Quote unquote, mother’s words: ‘please give my child every vaccine you can,’ ” he said.
“This is what we’re seeing.” He added.
Florida’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo—a noted critic of the medical establishment—has long dismissed current school and community vaccine rules as “immoral” infringements on personal rights that limit parents’ freedom in decisions about their children’s health.
Every U.S. state and territory requires that youngsters in daycare and schools be vaccinated against a set of illnesses, such as measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, and chickenpox.
All states allow medical exemptions for children who cannot safely receive certain shots.
Most states also offer religious or philosophical exemptions for vaccine refusal.
Emotional public hearing
The hearing on Friday became emotionally charged. Those opposing the mandates emphasized personal liberty, while veteran physicians recounted seeing numerous sick children before widespread immunization became available.
Dr. Paul Robinson, who trained at Vanderbilt University in the 1980s, cared for countless kids “suffering from diseases we now prevent,” including Hib.
“It didn’t cause mild illness. It caused children to die,” Robinson recalled, describing survivors who suffered from deafness, paralysis, or lifelong neurological damage.
He called the policy shift “dangerous.”
Jamie Schanbaum lost both legs and fingers when she contracted meningitis as a 20‑year‑old college student in Texas.
Schanbaum traveled all the way from Brooklyn, New York, to testify in favor of vaccines. She spoke of her seven‑month stay in the hospital fighting a preventable disease and the day‑to‑day challenges of living without her limbs.
“No one should go through this experience,” she said.
“How about the relearning to use my hands? Feed myself? Wipe myself? This is the reality of what it’s like to survive something like this,” she added.
Rise of vaccine skepticism
National and global vaccine efforts slowed after the COVID‑19 pandemic sparked a surge in vaccine‑skepticism.
Florida’s proposal arrives while the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who doubts the safety and efficacy of well‑tested shots, has been advocating for a change in American vaccine policy.
Mary Helms, a mother and grandmother from Apalachicola, Florida, cited Kennedy when she expressed total support for the rollback.
“Medical choice and medical freedom in all ways is a God-given and sovereign human right,” Helms declared.
Susan Sweetin, a marketing executive for the National Vaccine Information Center—a group tied to Kennedy—told the story of her newborn son nearly rushed for a hepatitis B injection that she claimed “injured” him.
“This is not informed consent. That is coercion. Vaccines should never be tied to a child’s education,” Sweetin argued.
When the Department of Health asked if it had consulted organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics during the rule’s drafting, a representative declined to respond directly, summarizing the policy as rooted in “considerations that favor parental rights and medical freedom.”
Measles outbreak in South Carolina
Florida’s push comes as a multi‑month measles outbreak continues in South Carolina, largely affecting school‑aged children.
Officials there say 116 of the 126 reported cases involve kids under 18, and two‑thirds are between 5 and 17 years old.
The outbreak is concentrated in Spartanburg County, where only 90 % of students meet the required vaccination levels—one of the lowest statewide.
South Carolina allows for a religious vaccine exemption, and the majority of unvaccinated students use it.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
