Florida drops school vaccine exemption expansion, keeps repeal push
The Department of Health is holding an Oct. 8 public meeting on repealing the shots, while pediatricians warn the change would lower immunization rates.
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The Department of Health is holding an Oct. 8 public meeting on repealing the shots, while pediatricians warn the change would lower immunization rates.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a conference hosted by an organization he once led that has promoted doubts about vaccines.
The proposed rule also expands religious vaccine exemptions to include moral and ethical beliefs and lets parents and college students opt out of having their records included in the state vaccine database.
CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder, who has had melanoma herself, said Moderna's experimental trial is "a big win for mRNA vaccines against cancer."
Moderna and Merck announced study results that reflect a "landmark moment" in treatment for one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s closed-door research has yet to produce evidence linking vaccines and autism.
Florida has 155 measles cases so far in 2026 and a vaccination rate well below the herd immunity threshold, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new seasonal flu vaccine from Moderna that uses mRNA technology, the drugmaker announced.
Attorney General Uthmeier's letter argues that Catholic doctrine itself does not allow schools to reject religious vaccine exemptions.
Earlier this year, the CDC announced updated recommendations that would reduce the number of recommended immunizations for children from 17 to 11.
Two key priorities of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that failed to advance in the regular legislative session were discarded during the special session that began Tuesday.
Sen. Clay Yarborough filed the bill again on Friday after it failed to pass during the regular session that ended March 13.
Doctors fear that skepticism, fueled by anti-science sentiment and mistrust, is extending beyond vaccines to other proven, routine care.
In July, Prasad was briefly forced from his job, but was reinstated less than two weeks later.
Some GOP members of the Senate Appropriations Committee argued that the proposal would put vulnerable children at risk and bring back previously eradicated diseases.
The AAP is recommending immunization against 18 diseases. Earlier this month, the CDC reduced its recommendations for childhood vaccines to 11 diseases.
With supporters pointing to diminished "public trust" in vaccines and the health-care system, a Senate committee approved a bill that would allow people injured by vaccines to sue drug manufacturers that advertise the products.
The CDC estimated there have been at least 11 million flu cases as of December 27.
The new CDC recommendations suggest reducing the number of vaccinations all children should receive.
Physicians and educators spoke out against the proposed repeal of vaccination requirements for diseases such as chickenpox during a Department of Health workshop in Panama City Beach, while vaccine critics applauded Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration for advancing the plan.
Clinicians and epidemiologists warn the decision could unravel decades of progress and expose newborns to a deadly, preventable disease.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, with members appointed by RFK Jr., voted to change longstanding recommendations on the hepatitis B vaccine.
The CDC's vaccine advisory panel meets Thursday and Friday to discuss recommendations for the hepatitis B vaccine and the schedule of childhood shots.
The former officials said the FDA's plans to revamp how certain life-saving vaccines are handled would "disadvantage the people the FDA exists to protect, including millions of Americans at high risk from serious infections."
The three-dose hepatitis B vaccine has a long track record of safety, but rolling back recommendations could leave kids vulnerable to infections, doctors say.
