DeSantis to End All Vaccine Mandates in Florida

Reaction to DeSantis announcement

From the American Academy of Pediatrics: "The AAP believes every family should have access to immunizations to keep their community healthy. Schools are an important part of that community. For many kids, the best part of school is being with friends — sharing space, playing on the playground and trading germs. Close contact makes it easy for contagious diseases to spread quickly. That’s why most schools require routine childhood immunizations. When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it’s harder for diseases to spread, and easier for everyone to keep the fun and learning going. When children are sick and miss school, parents also miss work, which not only impacts those families, but also the local economy. We are concerned that today's announcement by Gov. DeSantis will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community."

From the Florida Chapter of AAP President, Dr. Rana Alissa: "The Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics ("FCAAP") believes every family should have access to immunizations to keep their community healthy. Schools are an important part of that community. For many kids, the best part of school is being with friends - sharing space, playing on the playground, and learning together. Close contact makes it easy for contagious diseases to spread quickly. That's why many schools require routine childhood immunizations. When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it is harder for diseases to spread and easier for everyone to continue learning and having fun. When children are sick and miss school caregivers also miss work, which not only impacts those families but also the local economy. We are concerned that today's announcement will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, which will have a ripple effect across our communities."