Analysis by
Aaron Blake
... Florida’s move means schoolchildren would no longer be required to get previously required vaccinations for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), polio, tetanus, chickenpox and hepatitis B. (The Covid-19 vaccine is not mandated for schoolchildren by any state.)
While the decision is being billed as a win for freedom, the effectiveness of such vaccines relies upon widespread adoption in order to build herd immunity. We’ve already seen just this year how depressed MMR vaccination rates can lead to measles outbreaks, like the one in West Texas.
It remains to be seen how Florida’s move will affect its vaccination rates and whether it will lead to outbreaks. But polls suggest many Republicans especially would forgo vaccinations for their children if they could.
And that could mark a major shift in the health of Americans. Even as Republicans targeted Covid-19 mandates earlier this decade, they often cast their efforts as being limited to that vaccine. When they occasionally suggested reviewing mandates for other vaccines, they often backed off. Now those appear to be in jeopardy, too ...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/politics/florida-gop-end-vaccine-mandates
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