Florida will suffer from decreased vaccine access — where are our leaders?

In January, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), under the leadership of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., made sweeping changes to its recommendations for childhood vaccines.

Despite decades of proven safety and efficacy, recommended childhood immunizations were reduced from 17 to 11, eliminating universal recommendations for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease, COVID-19, hepatitis A and B, and RSV.

Perhaps you feel relieved they did not include measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, diphtheria, or tetanus. Unfortunately, the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, who was hand-selected by Secretary Kennedy, has publicly stated that no vaccine should be mandated — even if that decision results in children dying or becoming permanently disabled — framing this as “medical freedom” and likening vaccine-preventable deaths to alcohol-related disease. In other words, avoidable harm is considered an acceptable price for “freedom.”

Some parents are understandably confused when the nation’s Secretary of HHS openly promotes anti-vaccine rhetoric. It is worth remembering that our Senators allowed this appointment to happen.

Those at highest risk include infants under six months of age, who are too young to be fully vaccinated due to their immature immune systems, as well as others who are immunocompromised: children and adults undergoing chemotherapy, transplant recipients, and the elderly.

The consequences extend further. By removing universal recommendations, families have been plunged into a confusing and dangerous role of navigating conflicting information and a more complicated process to vaccinate their children. Insurers may no longer be required to cover these vaccines, meaning even families who want to protect their children may no longer be able to afford them. There will, of course, be additional costs for hospitalization, lost school days, and lost work days. Those at risk, especially our children, will pay the price.

On a recent podcast, Secretary Kennedy asserted that “there was not good science behind the vaccine schedule,” a demonstrably false claim. Childhood vaccines were developed in response to the severe risks posed by these diseases and have been rigorously studied and safely administered for decades. He also questioned vaccine safety without evidence and encouraged parents to “do their own research,” offering no guidance on evaluating credible medical data.

Since 1974, vaccines have saved an estimated 154 million lives worldwide. The research is clear and compelling: vaccines are safe and effective. Why would we knowingly expose our children and grandchildren to the pain, suffering, and even death caused by vaccine-preventable diseases? RSV alone is the leading cause of hospitalization of infants and young children.

As a medical professional, I have a responsibility to provide parents with factual information about the vaccines their families need to stay safe. Our elected officials bear even greater responsibility. The Senators who confirmed Secretary Kennedy — have they challenged these dangerous decisions? Where are Ashley Moody and Rick Scott, both of whom know better, as this group of ideological actors dismantles evidence-based vaccine policy without scientific justification?

The consequences will fall hardest on the most vulnerable. Childhood vaccination rates are already declining nationwide, and diseases once declared eliminated in the United States are returning. In 2025, the CDC recorded more than 2,200 measles cases — mostly in children, with only 4% being fully vaccinated — representing a dramatic increase from prior years. It is not a matter of if Florida will experience a major outbreak, but when.

When I earned my M.D. degree, I took an oath to do no harm. Our elected leaders also swore an oath: to protect the health and safety of the people they serve.

By remaining silent, they are breaking that oath.

Our children deserve better. We need leaders who will speak up — and act — on their behalf.

___

Dr. Nancy Staats, M.D., is a board-certified anesthesiologist with nearly 30 years of clinical experience. A Jacksonville resident, she is also a founding member of Florida Health, a coalition of medical professionals, health care advocates and small business owners pushing for quality, affordable health coverage in the Sunshine State.