【By Bear Chao Ran, Observers Network】According to the Wall Street Journal, on September 3 local time, the U.S. state of Florida is proposing to cancel all vaccine mandates, including those for school-age children, which would make it the first state in the United States to eliminate immunization requirements.

In fact, vaccine mandates have eliminated the threat of many infectious diseases. Medical experts say that revoking these regulations will weaken public safety. However, since President Trump appointed vaccine skeptics Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), anti-vaccine activists have been emboldened to challenge immunization regulations.

Joseph Ladapo, the director of the Florida Department of Health, stated that day that he had instructed the Florida health department to cancel all vaccine directives issued by the agency previously. The official, appointed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in 2021, said: "All these regulations are wrong, full of contempt and servitude. As a government, or as anyone, as a man standing here today, what right do I have to tell you what to inject into your body?"

Photo: Children receiving vaccines in Miami, Florida, USA

According to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures, each state has laws requiring children to be vaccinated with specific vaccines to enroll in school, unless they have a medical exemption. These laws usually apply to students in both public and private schools. Currently, no other states are pushing to cancel vaccine mandates.

In Florida, children were previously required to receive vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and other infectious diseases to enroll in school. The state provided medical and religious exemptions for these immunization requirements.

DeSantis, who publicly opposed pandemic restrictions and vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, stated that he will work with the state legislature to repeal any vaccination-related laws. He also said that he is forming a group to provide advice on vaccine policies, focusing on medical freedom, informed consent, and parental rights. DeSantis said, "I think people should not be discriminated against regardless of their choices."

Professor Matt Hitchings of the University of Florida's Infectious Disease Statistics said that this proposal could pose a danger to public health. He said, "I want to see if they can provide any scientific justification for this latest policy, because I think the benefits of routine immunizations are beyond dispute."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 89% of kindergarten children in Florida completed the required vaccines, including measles, mumps, and rubella, in the previous school year. This proportion was 94% in the 2016-2017 school year. Over the past decade, this coverage rate has been declining. According to the CDC, a vaccine coverage rate of at least 95% is needed to prevent measles outbreaks and protect the community.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, China Photos

Earlier this year, in western Texas, a measles outbreak caused hundreds of infections and resulted in the first measles death in the United States in over a decade due to a decline in vaccination rates.

Jesse Hackell, chair of the committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a retired pediatrician, said that Florida's plan poses risks to vulnerable groups, as unvaccinated children may spread diseases in the community, and the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to diseases. He said, "If children are not vaccinated, it affects everyone."

Michael Ramey, chairman of the Parental Rights Foundation, which represents conservative parent groups, claimed that Florida's actions would allow parents to make informed choices. "Parents are fully capable of making these decisions and will naturally act in the best interests of their children," he said.

According to a CDC survey of over 2,000 parents last year, more than three-quarters of parents supported school vaccine requirements.

At the federal level, as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has sparked a lot of controversy with his highly controversial leadership style on vaccines and other health issues. Some public health experts and Democratic officials have stated that they no longer trust the guidance of this agency.

For example, Democratic governors of California, Oregon, and Washington state announced on September 3 local time that they plan to issue their own vaccine recommendations, as the Trump administration has politicized the U.S. CDC.

This article is an exclusive article by Observers Network, and it is not allowed to be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7546099889457922611/

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