Overview
- The state Department of Health published a proposed rule approved by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo that would strip hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines from the agency’s school-entry requirements, with public comment open through Sept. 14.
- The proposal would expand exemption rules to include objections based on “sincerely held moral or ethical beliefs” and let parents and college students opt out of having vaccination records entered into Florida SHOTS.
- Vaccines mandated by Florida law such as measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and mumps would remain required for school attendance and could only be changed by the Legislature.
- Major medical groups and pediatricians said the rollback could increase the risk of preventable outbreaks, a concern heightened by a recent rise in measles cases reported in Florida this year.
- The administrative route allows the change to proceed without new legislation but also opens the rule to public hearings and formal challenges in the state Division of Administrative Hearings that could delay or block final adoption.