Florida’s decision to end school vaccine mandates has sparked debate between health officials and state leaders over public safety and parental rights.

Dr. Sunil Joshi, Jacksonville’s chief medical officer, stressed the importance of longstanding vaccines like measles, mumps, rubella, and polio, which have been mandated since the 1950s and 60s.

“Before the vaccines came out, over 500,000 people in this country got measles. And 500 children died from that,” Joshi said. “If we didn’t have the vaccine, that would translate to 1 million people with measles and 1,000 children dying.”

Joshi highlighted how mandates create herd immunity in schools, protecting children and communities. He warned that declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks, citing Texas, where less than 50% vaccinatio

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