Overview

• Florida’s health agency announced it intends to eliminate all state vaccine requirements, including those for school attendance.
• Agency head Joseph Ladapo denounced the rules as wrong, using language that framed mandates as contemptuous and oppressive.
• Governor Ron DeSantis voiced support for the plan, which aligns with his broader opposition to pandemic-era requirements.
• California, Oregon and Washington announced a West Coast Health Alliance to issue joint vaccine recommendations aligned with medical societies, even if they diverge from federal policies.
• The regional stance follows federal upheaval as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all ACIP members and the CDC ousted Director Susan Monarez, with CDC data showing lower kindergarten immunization rates and measles at its highest level since 2000.