Welcome to the year 2025, a time when misinformation, quack diets, and junk science prevail. Rabies and measles are back and on the rise, shoddy research is trailblazing sleazy political maneuvers, parents are raising their babies on carnivore diets, and a man with worm bites for a brain just spoke to Congress about something forebodingly titled “The President’s 2026 Health Care Agenda” (more on this rat-faced man later). And, as if things couldn’t get any more bizarre, Florida apparently wants to become the first state in the country to scrap vaccine mandates.
“People have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions,” Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s Surgeon General (and long-time vaccine skeptic), announced at a news conference in St. Petersburg on Wednesday—after saying such mandates “[drip] with disdain and slavery.” He continued, “You want to put, you know, whatever different vaccines in your body? God bless you, I hope you make an informed decision.” (Hm… I’ll pick the option that doesn’t give me measles, thank you very much!)
Wednesday’s bizarre conference first kicked off with Governor Ron DeSantis breaking with years’ worth of CDC guidelines—and decades’ worth of research—and questioning whether babies really need that hepatitis jab (spoiler alert: they do). Speaking to Floridians, the governor announced he was implementing a state-level MAHA Commission led by First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins. They modeled it after the one created by HHS Secretary RFK Jr., who, as of publishing, has just completed his three-hour-long Senate hearing in which he flailed around in an attempt to explain the recent turmoil at the CDC under his watch
Ending vaccine mandates is reckless and dangerous. It will drive down immunization rates & open the door to outbreaks of preventable diseases, putting children, seniors, and vulnerable Floridians at risk. This is a public health disaster in the making for the Sunshine State.
Since Florida’s announcement, countless scientists, advocates, and politicians have condemned the move. Dr. Philip Huang, an HHS director from Texas, called the idea “insane and stupid”; Lori Berman, the state’s Senate Dem leader, said it was “dangerous, anti-science, and anti-child”; and the American Academy of Pediatrics warned it “puts children at risk.” A statement released by the American Medical Association says: “While there is still time, we urge Florida to reconsider this change to help prevent a rise of infectious disease outbreaks that put health and lives at risk.”
The decision, however, reflects a growing skepticism against vaccinations in the country, facilitated by MAHA paranoia and rising distrust against public health agencies. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised several times that he would cut funding for schools that mandate vaccines if elected. And after tapping an infamously anti-vax menace as the nation’s health chief (and promising to let him “go wild”), hesitancy has been a steadily rising trend. Thanks to that, measles cases in the U.S. this year reached record highs since the country eradicated the disease in 2000, with Texas seeing the worst of it.
Support for vaccinating kids against infectious diseases dropped from 81% in 1991 to 51% last year
In the West, California, Oregon, and Washington are attempting to build an idiot-shield and form a “health alliance” that relies on its own vaccine regulations, using advice from pediatric experts and doctors. Other Democratic-led states are considering similar measures. Of course, Florida’s decision will have consequences for everyone in the country–including those who have already been vaccinated.
“When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it is harder for diseases to spread and easier for everyone to continue learning and having fun,” AAP Florida Chapter Chair Dr. Rana Alissa told CBS News in an email. “When children are sick and miss school, caregivers also miss work, which not only impacts those families but also the local economy.”
