JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 About two-thirds of likely Florida voters polled by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab don\u2019t want the state to end childhood vaccine mandates.<\/p>\n
The issue was first raised by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo in September, when he announced that the state\u2019s Department of Health would be working to eliminate school immunization requirements<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions,\u201d said Ladapo, who has frequently clashed with the medical establishment<\/a>. \u201cThey don\u2019t have the right to tell you what to put in your body. Take it away from them.\u201d<\/p>\n Health experts responded swiftly and strongly<\/a>, balking at the idea and pointing out that vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives globally over the past 50 years, the majority of those being infants and children.<\/p>\n MORE RESULTS | UNF Poll: Housing costs ranked most important problem facing Florida; voters divided over eliminating property taxes<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cVaccines are among the most powerful inventions in history, making once-feared diseases preventable,\u201d said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general.<\/p>\n Dr. Scott Rivkees, who served as Florida surgeon general from 2019 to 2021 during the pandemic, said there could be an outbreak of preventable diseases<\/a> like measles and chickenpox if vaccine mandates are scrapped.<\/p>\n And the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics warned that could have \u201ca ripple effect across our communities.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n