{"id":137513,"date":"2025-09-06T17:08:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T17:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/137513\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T17:08:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T17:08:16","slug":"florida-surgeon-general-defies-medical-science-credited-for-saving-millions-of-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/137513\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida surgeon general defies medical science credited for saving millions of lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Dr. Joseph Ladapo, whose credentials include two Harvard University degrees, says that requiring vaccinations for diseases like measles, polio and chickenpox amounts to government-imposed \u201cslavery.\u201d It\u2019s far from the first time<\/a> Florida\u2019s surgeon general has cut against the medical establishment grain.<\/p>\n

Ladapo, an appointee of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, made worldwide headlines this week by announcing Florida would seek to eliminate all mandated vaccinations for schoolchildren<\/a> and others. He cast the immunization requirements, which date back decades and are considered a major global medical achievement that has saved millions of lives<\/a>, as improper government intrusion in personal health decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery last one is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,\u201d Ladapo said at a news conference with DeSantis this week. \u201cWho am I, or anyone else, to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don\u2019t have that right.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, a concrete action plan for eliminating immunization mandates in Florida has not emerged, despite multiple requests by The Associated Press. Ladapo acknowledged some proposed changes would require the state Legislature to act. Educators and many health professionals are aghast.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemoving policies that keep our children healthy creates unnecessary confusion and fear,\u201d said Dr. Rana Alissa, president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. \u201cSchools are tight-knit networks of children, educators, and families, making it easy for contagious diseases to spread.\u201d<\/p>\n

Impeccable credentials for an anti-establishment figure<\/p>\n

Ladapo, 46, emigrated from Nigeria to the U.S. at age five with his parents. He earned a degree in chemistry from Wake Forest University and then attended Harvard, where he got his medical degree and also a doctorate in health policy.<\/p>\n

This is a well-trodden path for medical expertise. Ladapo was affiliated after Harvard with New York University and later UCLA, where his op-eds against the pandemic response were noticed by DeSantis, who tapped him as Florida surgeon general<\/a> in 2021. Ladapo also got a professor position at the University of Florida<\/a> medical school in the deal.<\/p>\n

Like the governor, Ladapo raised questions about COVID-19 policies that forced people to wear masks and move education online, keep their distance from others and show proof of COVID vaccinations to attend public events, go to a restaurant or take a cruise. Ladapo also misrepresented studies<\/a> to raise doubts about the mRNA vaccine, the studies\u2019 authors said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a 2024 guidance statement, Ladapo\u2019s Department of Health warned against using the COVID vaccine at all, contending that \u201cthe federal government has failed to provide sufficient data to support the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 boosters, or acknowledge previously demonstrated safety concerns associated with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.\u201d Those purported risks include respiratory tract infections, greater chance of autoimmune disease and cardiovascular problems.<\/p>\n

Almost every major medical or public health organization disputed those assertions, including the Food and Drug Administration: \u201cThe challenge we continue to face is the ongoing proliferation of misinformation and disinformation about these vaccines which results in vaccine hesitancy that lowers vaccine uptake,\u201d said the FDA statement, adding that the agency \u201crespectfully disagrees with the Florida Surgeon General\u2019s opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ladapo\u2019s supporters and critics question each other\u2019s sanity<\/p>\n

In his public comments, Ladapo makes clear he does not follow the guidance of government health experts who, in his view, don\u2019t look at the full picture of how to tackle disease and improve public health. His agency did not respond to an Associated Press request for an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just this sea of insanity,\u201d he said this week. \u201cPeople are going to have to choose a side. People have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ladapo\u2019s focus on what he and DeSantis call \u201cmedical freedom\u201d also fuels his skepticism about other long-established health policies, such as the FDA\u2019s warning against consuming unpasteurized milk<\/a> that can contain salmonella and other deadly bacteria, or the addition of fluoride in drinking water<\/a> to promote healthy teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt what point are you free to make your own decisions?\u201d DeSantis said this week. \u201cWe\u2019ve done a lot over the years to really be on the right side of fighting against the hysteria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ladapo has many critics in the public health realm and, increasingly, among politicians seeking to tie his unorthodox policies to DeSantis and other Republicans. U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from South Florida, wants Ladapo ousted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre we losing our minds? This is getting ridiculous and pathetic. Are we trying to kill millions of innocent children? Childhood vaccines save lives,\u201d Wilson posted on social media this week. \u201cGovernor DeSantis must either remove Joseph Ladapo as Surgeon General or have him resign.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no indication that will happen. Ladapo appears to have full support from DeSantis and many conservatives cheer his willingness to buck the medical establishment, including what some see as the untoward influence of pharmaceutical companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many brave people out there \u2014 moms & dads, doctors, scientists, and others \u2014 who have shown admirable courage in the fight for medical freedom,\u201d Ladapo posted recently on the X social media platform. \u201cLet\u2019s continue. Much more work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Dr. Joseph Ladapo, whose credentials include two Harvard University degrees, says that requiring…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137514,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,85968,2822,2808,85967,793,97,6882,85966,243,3,85969,2819,9650,795,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-137513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-chickenpox","tag-fl-state-wire","tag-florida","tag-frederica-wilson","tag-general-news","tag-health","tag-immunizations","tag-joseph-ladapo","tag-medication","tag-news","tag-rana-alissa","tag-ron-desantis","tag-u-s-food-and-drug-administration","tag-u-s-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}