Wasserman Schultz calls for Florida surgeon general removal over measles response

Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) on Tuesday called for Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to be removed from his post over his response to a measles outbreak at a local elementary school.

“Sadly, frustratingly, Florida’s surgeon general stands in stark contrast to America’s proud legacy of bipartisan public health success,” Wasserman Schultz said.  

“Ladapo instead politicizes public health and peddles risky ‘freedom of choice’ rhetoric that fuels vaccine hesitancy and downplays the public and personal health necessity for vaccination,” she added.  

Manatee Bay Elementary School has recorded at least six students contracting measles, with more local cases potentially connected to the school, but Lapado has not encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated or insisted on vaccinations before students return to class.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says unvaccinated children need to be kept away for three weeks when there is a measles outbreak.

In a letter to parents, Ladapo said he recommends keeping unvaccinated children away for that amount of time but wouldn’t mandate it.  

“Due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, [the state health department] is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance,” Ladapo said.  

Wasserman Schultz is joining Mary Jo Trepka, the chair of the epidemiology department at Florida International University, and Latha Krishnaiyer, past president of the Broward County PTA and Florida PTA, in calls for Ladapo to be replaced.  

The Florida measles outbreak follows one last year in Ohio in which the vast majority of children affected were unvaccinated.