Florida officials are pushing to eliminate all school vaccine mandates, sparking concern among health experts, per the Miami Herald.

Earlier this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced their intent to drop school vaccine mandates, arguing that parents should decide which vaccines their children receive. The pair are both long-time opponents of COVID-19 mandates and are now extending that stance to all vaccines.

“Who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what you should put in your body?” Ladapo said during a press conference, comparing mandates to “slavery.”

Florida currently requires students to be vaccinated against diseases including measles, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and chickenpox to attend school. Parents can currently opt out for medical or religious reasons.

The proposed changes would make all vaccinations optional, starting with four not explicitly named in state law: Hepatitis B, chickenpox (varicella), Hib, and pneumococcal disease. State law would need to be amended to remove mandates for others, such as measles and polio.

“I absolutely understand wanting to have ownership over your child’s health,” Jason Salemi, an epidemiology professor at the University of South Florida, said in a statement. “The challenge is that some diseases like measles are so contagious that one family’s decision not to vaccinate can put many other children at risk.”

Health experts believe decades of progress in preventing deadly disease outbreaks could be reversed. The U.S. has seen over 1,400 measles cases so far this year, the most since 2000.

“Vaccines are still among the safest and most effective ways to protect your child from serious disease,” Salemi said. “Mandates may change, but the science doesn’t.”

Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University warned that "if there are more illnesses, there’ll be more hospitalizations and occasional deaths, and that is as predictable as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.”

The Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics said it’s concerned the shift “will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick.”

Dr. Aileen Marty of Florida International University noted that without state mandates, some vaccines may no longer be offered for free, potentially limiting access for uninsured families.

Experts are advising parents to speak with pediatricians and continue routine vaccinations regardless of state policy.

“Diseases don’t go away just because the rules change,” Salemi said. “When vaccine rules are loosened, coverage goes down and outbreaks go up.”

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