Florida Moves to Drop 4 School Vaccine Requirements, Opening 21-Day Comment Period
Updated
Updated · NOTUS · Aug 25
Florida Moves to Drop 4 School Vaccine Requirements, Opening 21-Day Comment Period
3 articles · Updated · NOTUS · Aug 25
Summary
Four vaccines — chickenpox, hepatitis B, Hib and pneumococcal — would no longer be required for Florida public school students under a rule published Monday by the state Health Department.
The proposal says those shots are not mandated by state law, which still requires immunization against seven diseases including polio, measles, mumps and pertussis.
A 21-day public comment period now begins as Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo presses a broader campaign to eliminate vaccine mandates after earlier reversing COVID-19 quarantine and vaccine rules.
The rollback comes as measles cases rise: Florida has reported 155 cases in 2026 versus seven last year, and medical critics warn looser school requirements could weaken herd immunity.