The state of Florida is seeking to end "all of" its vaccine mandates, according to the state's Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.^1,2

According to multiple national reports, the Surgeon General on Wednesday stated that forcing vaccine mandates is "wrong" and "immoral," according to a news article from NBC News. He is quoted as saying, "Who am I as a government or anyone else, who am I as a man standing here now, to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body? I don’t have that right."¹

While the state is not banning vaccinations, Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, attending physician, Division of Infectious Diseases, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; president, Infectious Diseases Society of America, said this news could cause misunderstandings for parents, who make vaccination decisions on behalf of their child.

"The problem is that now you are opening the door for vaccine-hesitant parents and anti-vaxxers to continue to increase. You are confusing people because they are thinking, 'they took the mandate away. I guess those things are not needed,'" Tan said. "This is really devastating news, because what is going to happen is you are going to see multiple outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases that are now going to spread very quickly, not only in Florida, but all over the US and then internationally."

Tan, who is also the editor-in-chief of Contemporary Pediatrics is calling on the health care community to continue to explain the benefits of vaccines.

"[Health care providers] need to remember to do what is best for their patients, and so they need to talk to the parents about why vaccines are important and why their kids should get them."

Current vaccine mandates in Florida

Childcare and/or Family Daycare

Diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP)

• Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
• Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20)
• Hepatitis B (Hep B)

Preschool

Currently, according to Florida's school immunization requirements, preschool entry requires the following vaccines³:

• DTaP
• IPV
• MMR
• Varicella
• Hib
• Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20)
• Hepatitis B (Hep B)

Kindergarten through 12th Grade

• Four or 5 doses of DTaP
• Four or 5 doses of IPV
• Two doses of MMR
• Three doses of Hep B
• One Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap)
• Two doses of Varicella (kindergarten effective with 2008–2009 school year, then an additional grade is added each year thereafter). Varicella vaccine is not required if there is a history of varicella disease documented by the health care provider.

Regarding the anticipated changes coming to the vaccine requirements in Florida, Tan worries this could cause a ripple effect throughout the country.

"This is basically just the first state, but this is opening the door for other states to do this," she said. "We need to protect everyone against getting a vaccine-preventable disease, because if a kid got it in school, they can bring it home. There are people with immunocompromising conditions who cannot receive certain vaccines, so you need to protect them. The other problem is that if a growing number of individuals are not vaccinated, this is really going to cause these diseases to spread far and wide.

References:

1. West A. Florida surgeon general says state will eliminate all vaccine mandates. NBC News. Online article. September 3, 2025. Accessed September 3, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/florida-surgeon-general-says-state-will-eliminate-vaccine-mandates-rcna228835
2. Fineout G. Florida moves to scrap state school vaccine requirements. Politico. Online article. September 3, 2025. Accessed September 3, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/03/florida-scrap-school-vaccine-requirements-00541739
3. School immunization requirements. Florida Health. Accessed September 3, 2025. https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/immunization/children-and-adolescents/school-immunization-requirements/index.html