WASHINGTON – Ending vaccine mandates for children, as Florida did last week, will lead to unnecessary deaths, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who chairs the Senate’s health committee, said Tuesday.

“That's a bad decision, and within the year there will be children who are infected and children who die,” Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, told Louisiana reporters in press conference over the phone.

Even some children who have been vaccinated might face problems from people who have not, he said.

In addition to preventing disease, widespread vaccinations creates herd immunity that prevents outbreaks and safeguards vulnerable populations, such as immune-compromised people.

A child who has been vaccinated for measles, say, but also is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer is more likely to run into someone wh

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