Florida Seeks to Remove 4 Vaccines, Including Chickenpox, from School Requirements
Florida Seeks to Remove 4 Vaccines, Including Chickenpox, from School Requirements
Cara Lynn ShultzWed, August 26, 2026 at 6:00 PM UTC
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Stock image of a child with chickenpoxCredit: Getty -
Florida health officials propose removing four vaccines from school requirements, citing “moral and ethical beliefs”
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said vaccine mandates infringe on parental rights and personal freedoms
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns the change could increase illness and disrupt families and local economies
Florida health officials are seeking to remove four vaccines from the current required shots for children, as the state’s surgeon general has said, “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body?”
A new proposed rule from the state’s health department would allow children enrolled in Florida’s schools and daycare to forgo vaccines against hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox),Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, citing “moral and ethical beliefs.”
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previously spoke out against vaccine mandates. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said, per NPR affiliate WUSF. “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God.”
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo in 2024Credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty
The proposal prompted backlash from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it’s harder for diseases to spread, and easier for everyone to keep the fun and learning going,” AAP President Susan J. Kressly, M.D., FAAP, said in a statement. “When children are sick and miss school, parents also miss work, which not only impacts those families, but also 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.”
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Vaccines prevented 508 million lifetime illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations and 1.1 million deaths among children born from 1994 to 2023, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
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Florida’s efforts come after President Donald Trump rolled back the required vaccines for children, per executive order, on August 10.
Under Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the administration leaned into distrust of established medical practices, with Kennedy stocking the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) with largely hand-selected picks. The move came before the committee voted to end routine hepatitis B shot for newborns, which critics and scientists said would result in a “substantial” increase in deaths.
The Florida rule has a 21-day public comment period before it takes effect.
on People
Source: “AOL Breaking”
