Governor DeSantis announces Florida MAHA Commission, vows to end all vaccine mandates

VALRICO, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that Florida is establishing a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission at the state level.

The governor’s announcement came at a news conference in Valrico on Wednesday morning.

The initiative mirrors that of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the federal level.

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What we know:

DeSantis said Wednesday that First Lady Casey DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins will chair the Florida MAHA Commission.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo will also serve on the commission, along with a list of experts in various health and medical fields.

The commission is designed to follow specific principles, including informed consent and parental rights, along with promoting clean, nutritious and healthy food.

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What they're saying:

During Wednesday’s news conference, DeSantis spent more than 30 minutes recapping past moves by the state aimed at "medical freedom," including efforts to crack down on mask and vaccine mandates while promoting in-person attendance in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor then talked about how the MAHA Commission is the next step in the state’s mission.

"I think that this is something that has great potential," DeSantis said. "We’ve already done a lot. I don’t think there’s any state that has done even close to what we’ve done."

Dig deeper:

Ladapo made a second announcement on behalf of the state during Wednesday’s news conference, saying that the Florida Department of Health will work with DeSantis to end all vaccine mandates in the state.

"Every last one of them," Ladapo repeated several times as the audience at Grace Christian School gave him a standing ovation.

Florida currently has a requirement that kids in public and private schools must be vaccinated against things like measles, polio, tetanus and chicken pox.

Ladapo said the effort to end vaccine mandates is all about supporting individual rights and informed consent.

"It’s wrong. It’s immoral. They do not have the right to tell you what you put in your body. They don’t have the right to tell you what your kids have to put in their bodies. They do not have the right. Do not give it to them," Ladapo said.

The other side:

Public health experts are concerned that if vaccine rates continue to dip, which in Florida are now a relatively low 95%, that diseases that were all but eradicated will not only spread, but begin to evade vaccines we do have.

"If we have too much spread of the virus," said USF immunologist Dr. Michael Teng, "they'll adapt and, eventually, the vaccines will have to be reformulated or use a newer strain of the viruses for these live-attenuated viruses like measles, mumps and rubella in order to provide coverage."

Teng points out that an area of Texas that had relatively low measles vaccine coverage saw an outbreak of nearly 800 cases, while an area of Rockland County, NY, in 2019 saw more than 300 cases. He argued the vaccines that have been in circulation for decades are sensible, as opposed to being a type of slavery, in the words of Surgeon General Ladapo.

The governor also said doctors should be banned from requiring their patients to be vaccinated before they see them.

The American Academy of Pediatrics released the following statement after the announcement: 

"The AAP believes every family should have access to immunizations to keep their community healthy. Schools are an important part of that community. For many kids, the best part of school is being with friends — sharing space, playing on the playground and trading germs. Close contact makes it easy for contagious diseases to spread quickly. That’s why most schools require routine childhood immunizations. When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it’s harder for diseases to spread, and easier for everyone to keep the fun and learning going. When children are sick and miss school, parents also miss work, which not only impacts those families, but also the local economy. We are concerned that today's announcement by Gov. DeSantis will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community."

In another statement, the Florida Chapter of AAP President, Dr. Rana Alissa, said: 

"The Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics ("FCAAP") believes every family should have access to immunizations to keep their community healthy. Schools are an important part of that community. For many kids, the best part of school is being with friends - sharing space, playing on the playground, and learning together. Close contact makes it easy for contagious diseases to spread quickly. That's why many schools require routine childhood immunizations. When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it is harder for diseases to spread and easier for everyone to continue learning and having fun. When children are sick and miss school caregivers also miss work, which not only impacts those families but also the local economy. We are concerned that today's announcement will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, which will have a ripple effect across our communities."

Big picture view:

Repealing vaccine mandates in Florida would require the legislature to change at least four Florida laws. But, some of the newer mandates, like for hepatitis and chicken pox, are only rules issued by the state Department of Health, and can easily be reversed by Ladapo himself.

"He's not going to necessarily receive a warm embrace by some of the people in his profession," said DeSantis, "but that's really what courage is all about."

What's next:

Vaccines will still be available, and pediatricians will still recommend them. But, the announcement upends decades of vaccine policy in Florida that required vaccines for school children.

"Most of the doctors were born after those were common in the United States," said Teng, "so this is a really different type of escalation in anti-vaccine rhetoric."