Professionals in Tampa Bay react to possible vaccine requirement rollback

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — People in the medical and education fields are reacting to the announcement from Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo that he wants to get rid of all vaccine mandates in Florida. That would include vaccinations required for school children.

“The word I keep using is ‘devastating’. There is no mild way to put this. This is really very dangerous, and it’s going to put our children and our communities at risk,” said Dr. Jill Roberts with the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health.

Roberts said physicians, especially in decades past, have seen it before — the potentially devastating impacts from diseases like measles.

“One of the last big measles outbreaks, 83 kids died — mostly kids that were too young to be vaccinated,” Roberts said. “Probably, a kid’s going to recover from measles and be fine, but maybe not. Some kids lose their vision. Some kids have a long-term disability.”

The measles vaccine is one of those the state requires kids to get before they enroll in school. Ladapo said he thinks any shot should be a personal choice.

“That is a moral, ethical universe, not this nonsense where people who don’t know you are telling you what to put in your temple,” Ladapo said.

Roberts said it’s at school that families sometimes learn their child is missing a vaccine because of the mandates. She told Spectrum News it not only protects them, but also grandparents, unvaccinated siblings and teachers.

“My immediate reaction was — how will I even be able to visit my dad, because I have to be so concerned about bringing things to him just regularly?” said Tracey McConnell of hearing vaccines may no longer be required to enroll in school.

McConnell is a teacher at Pinellas Central Elementary School and vice president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association. Her father is a transplant recipient, and she said rolling back the requirements would ramp up her concern for him and others at high risk.

“What about teachers who are pregnant? What about teachers that have cancer?” she asked. “What about kids who have cancers?…If this goes into effect, is going to make it so unsafe for anybody who has any kind of health issue in a classroom.”

Ladapo’s announcement has seen pushback from a number of organizations, including the Florida Education Association. It issued a statement that reads in part, “When leaders talk about pulling back vaccines, they’re talking about disrupting student learning and making schools less safe.” 

FEA said it’s reviewing the potential impact on schools and communities.