Florida's surgeon general told a state rule hearing in Lake Mary on Thursday that the state's plan to stop requiring four childhood vaccines for school entry is about parents' rights, not the science behind the shots. Doctors and parents of medically fragile children answered that the change would put vulnerable students at risk.
The Florida Department of Health held the rule hearing at the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary to take public comment on dropping the requirements for hepatitis B, chickenpox (varicella), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. Those four are required by department rule rather than state law, so the agency can remove them on its own, WKMG reported.
Shots for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus are written into state law and would stay unless the Legislature acts.
Ladapo: "not about" vaccine safety
Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said the proposal is not a judgment on whether the vaccines are safe or effective. "This isn't about the scientific effectiveness of one vaccine or the other," he said, according to the Florida Phoenix, adding that public health "cannot supersede the right of a parent to make a decision about what's best for their child."
He also noted, Central Florida Public Media reported, that some other states do not require one or more of the four shots. According to that report, Florida would become the first state without a chickenpox requirement if the rule takes effect.
Supporters thanked Ladapo for the effort. A Winter Springs parent who moved there from Oregon told the panel the decision "belongs to me as their parent, not the state," the Phoenix reported. Some speakers in favor also repeated claims linking vaccines to autism, which WKMG called unfounded and the Phoenix noted has been debunked by several large studies.
Doctors push back
Medical groups urged the department to reconsider. Dr. Sarah Nosal, board president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said the four vaccines "are still vital to protect children's health," WKMG reported. Dr. Brandon Chatani of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics asked officials to think of "the children who do not have a choice in their immune status."
