Florida shared more details about the plan to scrap all school vaccine mandates, including that it most likely will not take effect until 90 days have passed, and what diseases will be covered.
The illnesses that will be targeted could include chickenpox, polio, and measles. The state Department of Health shared the new details in response to questions, four days after Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the state's surgeon general, announced the plan.
Florida's Vaccine Mandates Plan
During his initial announcement, Ladapo said that Florida will be the first in the United States to make vaccinations voluntary and let families decide whether or not to have their kids injected. The decision walks back from decades of public policy and research that showed vaccines are safe and effective, according to the Frederick News-Post.
Despite years of evidence, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed deep skepticism regarding vaccines. The state's plan to scrap all vaccine mandates would affect hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib influenza, and pneumococcal diseases, including meningitis.
Read more: Pediatrics Associations Breaks Federal Guidelines, Recommends COVID-19 Vaccines for Young Children
Officials stated that the department initiated the rule change on September 3, 2025, and anticipate it will take effect approximately three months later. Every other vaccination that is required under Florida law to attend school will still be in effect unless updated through legislation.
On Sunday, Ladapo repeated his message of free choice for childhood vaccines, saying that parents who want them for their children can still get them. He added that those who do not want them should be given the ability and power to decide what they let into their kids' bodies, ABC News reported.
Putting Students and School Staff at Risk
Currently, the state of Florida has a religious exemption for vaccine requirements. The growing skepticism about shots comes despite vaccines being known to have saved at least 154 million lives worldwide over the past five decades, based on a 2024 report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The chair of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Rana Alissa, said that making vaccines voluntary will put students and school staff at risk. The latest plan comes amid the worst year for measles in the U.S. in the last three decades, where more than 1,400 cases have been confirmed across the country.
Additionally, whooping cough is responsible for the death of at least two babies in Louisiana, as well as a five-year-old child in Washington state. Preliminary CDC data showed that there have been more than 19,000 cases as of Aug. 23, which is roughly 2,000 more compared to the same time last year, as per the Independent.
