DeSantis Hired An Anti Vaxxer, & Now Florida Kids Are Paying the Cost ⛑
Daily Kos, Feb. 23, '24. Ed. Recs 230, Cmts 111.
As a kind of ultimate middle finger to science, Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis named a vaccine denier as Florida’s new surgeon general in the middle of the pandemic. Dr. Joseph Ladapo backed DeSantis in refusing vaccine mandates, then went on to spread misinformation about vaccines, alter key findings in a study so as to falsely inflate the risk of vaccines, and refuse to wear a mask even when visiting a state senator being treated for breast cancer. Florida’s right-wing legislature loved it.
Ladapo’s war on facts hasn’t slowed. Last month, Ladapo cited debunked conspiracy theories while calling for a halt to some of the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines. Despite researchers’ attempts to convince him to stop spreading his fact-free fantasies, Ladapo continues to be a star in the anti-vaccine, anti-science community.
Now he’s taking his celebrity status to a whole new disease.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but with falling vaccination rates, this debilitating disease, which killed hundreds of children each year before a national campaign of vaccination, is making a comeback. As of early Friday, 6 cases of measles have been linked to an elementary school in Fla. And in the face of this potential crisis, Ladapo is sending out advice that is a direct threat to Fla’s kids. The first case of measles tied to Manatee Bay Elementary School was noted on Feb. 16. In 4 days, the number of known cases rose to 6.
Measles is one of the most transmissible diseases known. 🥼
A single infected person can infect a large number of others with even very brief contact, and the virus can linger in the air for 2 hours after an infected person has left the room. Up to 90% of those exposed to measles will get measles if they don’t have the immunity provided by vaccination. But rather than encouraging students to stay home or urging parents to seek vaccination for their children, Ladapo did the opposite of that. This past Monday, he sent a letter to parents encouraging them to make their own decisions about returning their children to the classroom...
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/23/2225264/-Ron-DeSantis-hired-an-anti-vaxxer-and-now-Florida-kids-are-paying-the-cost
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- Florida surgeon general defies CDC measles guidelines during outbreak, Feb. 23, 2024, https://www.axios.com/2024/02/23/florida-measles-outbreak-ladapo-vaccine-guidelines
