Florida officials will soon no longer require children to get vaccinated against the measles, polio and other childhood diseases before attending public school — the first state in the nation to roll back these requirements.
As both a health-care advocate and a mother, I cannot overstate how reckless this rollback is.
Measles spreads so quickly that one infected child can pass it to 90% of those nearby if they aren’t immune. Before the measles vaccine became widely available a half century ago, nearly every American child contracted the disease and hundreds died each year. Polio once infected and paralyzed thousands of children annually before vaccines eradicated it.
Many grandparents throughout Central Florida remember dealing with these diseases as kids — and soon, today’s children could be threatened. Since Central Florida is home to one of the largest public school systems in the country, a drop in vaccination rates could put thousands of children at risk.
On a national scale, this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed measles outbreaks that hospitalized more than 210 people and killed three — including two otherwise healthy unvaccinated children. These were tragic, avoidable deaths.
Vaccines are among the most effective public health tools ever developed. Thanks to nearly universal vaccinations, America eradicated polio in the late 1970s and had eradicated measles by the turn of the century. For American children born from 1994 to 2023, routine childhood immunizations are projected to prevent 508 million cases of illness and over one million deaths over the course of their lives, according to the CDC.
And vaccines don’t just protect the children who receive them. They protect newborns too young to get vaccines, local seniors, kids battling cancer, and classmates with chronic conditions and weakened immune systems. But that group protection — herd immunity — only happens if vaccination rates remain high.
Right now, those rates are dropping across Florida. Immunization rates for kindergartners are at 88%, down from 94% in 2017. The Orange County rate stands below the statewide average at about 87% — and Osceola County’s rate is even lower at around 86%.That brings us below the herd immunity threshold for measles and whooping cough.
Every parent knows the sleepless nights that come with a child’s fever or cough. But no parent should have to lie awake worrying that elected officials have made their kids more vulnerable to diseases we know how to prevent.
Policies that threaten confidence in vaccines not only cost lives today but will be devastating for future generations.
Vaccine technology is poised to become a lifesaving tool in pediatric oncology. Researchers at the AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando are using personalized mRNA vaccines to treat bladder cancer. But miraculous breakthroughs will only happen if Americans trust vaccines enough to support their development.
What troubles me most is that the policy to retreat from vaccines is not rooted in medicine. Florida’s surgeon general even admitted that the state did not rely on scientific research when making this decision. Had officials looked at the data, they’d know that, for decades, vaccines have protected our children from diseases that maim and kill.
If lawmakers eliminate immunization requirements for public schools, the consequences will be swift and far-reaching. A single measles case in an elementary school could easily infect dozens of children, leading to hospitalizations or even deaths.
It’s also worth noting that past immigration policies have welcomed some children to Florida who may not have received the same access to vaccines. Schools should maintain strong immunization requirements to ensure all kids are protected.
Some of today’s vaccine skepticism is understandable. During the pandemic, Americans saw heavy-handed mandates lead to adults losing their jobs for opting out of vaccines that hadn’t received full FDA approval.
But frustration with how the government handled COVID-19 should not cast doubt on the safety of routine childhood vaccines.
Orlando’s leaders must stand up for the health and safety of every child in our state. That means reversing this misguided decision.
Michelle Flowers is the former president of the Oncology Managers of Florida, a professional organization dedicated to providing information and educational support for patients, serving as a voice for patient access, and addressing state health care issues in Florida.
