State Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, wants to expand Florida’s vaccine exemptions to allow parents to request “conscience-based” exemptions to school vaccine mandates.
Man found guilty of attempted murder after shooting another man at Avenues Mall in 2023Read full article: Cold snap returns as Freeze Warnings blanket the regionZillow lists Jacksonville as a top market for homebuyers: Jax Daily Record1 case of measles reported in adult St.
Johns County patient in January, state records show– With several cases of measles recently confirmed in Northeast Florida, including two pediatric patients in Jacksonville, the debate over vaccinations for school-aged children has re-emerged. Medical professionals almost universally encourage parents to vaccinate their children as early as possible, particularly against vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles and whooping cough. In Florida, vaccines are currently required for children to attend school, unless their family applies for a religious or medical-based exemption. Now, state Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, wants instead to expand Florida’s vaccine exemptions to allow parents to request “conscience-based” exemptions to school vaccine mandates., that we began moving in the process this week, has three main parts, and it makes great strides to ensure that Florida parents can make educated medical decisions for their school-age children," Yarborough said in a phone interview Tuesday with News4JAX. “Just for clarity, we’re not removing any vaccines, we’re not banning any vaccines. We’re just giving parents the option. Maybe they’re compelled by something other than a religious belief, but they don’t have any other avenue where they could, you know, truthfully file an objection. This conscience-based objection part of the bill would allow them to be able to do that in good faith and register that with the state.” Yarborough acknowledged that he’s monitoring the situation with the measles cases reported in Northeast Florida, but said he does not believe increasing exemptions for school children will lead to major outbreaks. He pointed out that as of the end of 2024, 89% of children ages 5 to 17 were considered “fully vaccinated” for MMR. “Vaccination levels right now appear to be sufficient to prevent sustained transmission, even with exemptions on the books,” Yarborough said. “Certainly, I’m very sensitive to that, with that being our area and being home. But we’re trying to strike that balance with letting parents make the decisions -- because they should be able to do that and have the right to do that -- and still keep the public health broadly in mind as well.” Yarborough argued that states with lower vaccination rates than Florida, which have allowed conscience-based exemptions, have not seen a surge in measles cases. “Based on the research I have, I don’t see that that would be the case,” Yarborough said. “Some of these diseases that have been around for a long time, if you vaccinate, you might be able to slow spread and slow some of the transmission, but it’s not a total eradication of a particular illness. But parents need to be the ones to make that decision for their children.”, “higher rates of immunization exemptions in communities correlate with higher rates of vaccine-preventable illnesses and disease outbreaks, such as pertussis and measles.” The issue, AAP points out, is that “unvaccinated children are often geographically clustered within communities... which results in population clusters within larger communities with significantly lower immunization rates that are insufficient to prevent spread of disease within those communities.” If a vaccine-preventable disease like measles is introduced in an area with low vaccination rates, the chances are high that an outbreak could occur within that community and then spread beyond that community, AAP warns. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials also cited a study showing that children exempt from vaccines were 22.2 timesThat study also found that at least 11% of vaccinated children in measles outbreaks acquired infection through contact with a child exempt from vaccinations.“If there’s an outbreak at a school, then the county health department can declare an emergency and can even exclude from school those who they see on the list don’t have their vaccinations,” Yarborough said. “So there are mechanisms in place under current law that if you had an outbreak, the state and the counties can respond to that and make sure that those children are not there until the declaration is lifted.” Yarborough said his Medical Freedom bill also includes provisions to prevent the state’s surgeon general from ordering vaccinations and to allow Ivermectin to be sold without a prescription.A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.City Council to weigh multi-million-dollar pedestrian safety project near EverBank StadiumJacksonville doctor urges surgeons to help cure preventable blindness for freeQuestion still remain as to what caused deck collapse that injured multiple peopleVarsity 4 All-News4JAX boys cross country: Providence's Sean Cunningham leads the team$100K Walmart partnership will help Jared Bridegan’s widow add ‘Bexley Boxes’ across FloridaSmoke billowing from Maxwell House plant sparks call to JFRD4 JFRD employees arrested, accused of shooting paintballs at JSO car, I-95 sign during ‘prank war’Major national award for Mandarin sophomore receiver Brysen WrightWaycross residents smelling mysterious stench for days, what is it?Lawyer talks 1st Amendment implications of video with conservative activist at St. Augustine protestBryceville residents given some relief in dealing with construction on County Road 121
Health Measles Vaccines Clay Yarborough Florida Politics Florida Legislature
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Illinois, Iowa State, Michigan State Locked in KenPom LogjamOn the heels of their road win at Purdue, the Illini have inched up to No. 4 in KenPom, battling it out with the Cyclones and Spartans
Read more »
Penn State Men's Basketball Seeks Elusive Big Ten Win Against Ohio StateThe Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team faces Ohio State, searching for their first Big Ten victory of the season. After a tough loss to Wisconsin, the team looks to bounce back against a strong Buckeyes squad led by Bruce Thornton. This article provides everything you need to know about the game, including key matchups, team stats, and how to watch.
Read more »
Michigan State Offers Pair of In-State 2027 ProspectsPat Fitzgerald and the Spartans continue to target the top high school prospects in Michigan.
Read more »
Penn State vs Ohio State Prediction, Picks & Odds for Tonight's College Basketball GameOur Penn State vs. Ohio State predictions back the Buckeyes to cover the spread.
Read more »
Ohio State-Penn State Basketball Game Set to Play Despite Severe Winter WeatherThe Buckeyes will still play Monday night against one of their Big Ten rivals.
Read more »
New Moab liquor store projected to boost state, local revenueA new liquor store is scheduled to open in Moab, replacing the existing store that will close Jan. 31.The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services announced th
Read more »