The Florida Medical Association, the state’s largest physicians’ organization, strongly backed childhood vaccinations Thursday, a day after state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo vowed to end vaccine mandates.
“On behalf of Florida’s more than 23,000 physicians and medical professionals, the Florida Medical Association unequivocally supports the vaccination and immunization of school-aged children against diseases that decades ago proved life-threatening to our kids,” the organization said in a statement.
“The FMA advocates for physicians and their patients to promote the public health, ensure the highest standards of medical practice and to enhance the quality and availability of health care in the Sunshine State. This includes the safe and effective administration of vaccines and immunizations based on years of research and efficacy.”
The statement did not specifically address state mandates for schoolchildren to receive vaccinations for such things as polio, measles and chicken pox. Ladapo drew national attention Wednesday when he vowed to end the requirements, saying government doesn’t have the “right” to determine what people put in their bodies. Gov. Ron DeSantis also said Florida will establish a “Make America Healthy Again” advisory committee overseen by First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.
“The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the governor, is going to be working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida. All of them. All of them. Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said.
–News Service of Florida
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