As a kind of ultimate middle finger to science, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis named a vaccine denier as Florida’s new surgeon general in the middle of the pandemic. Dr. Joseph Ladapo backed DeSantis in refusing vaccine mandates, then went on to spread misinformation about vaccines, alter key findings in a study so as to falsely inflate the risk of vaccines, and refuse to wear a mask even when visiting a state senator being treated for breast cancer. Florida’s right-wing legislature loved it.
Ladapo’s war on facts hasn’t slowed. Last month, Ladapo cited debunked conspiracy theories while calling for a halt to some of the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines. Despite researchers’ attempts to convince him to stop spreading his fact-free fantasies, Ladapo continues to be a star in the anti-vaccine, anti-science community.
Now he’s taking his celebrity status to a whole new disease. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but with falling vaccination rates, this debilitating disease, which killed hundreds of children each year before a national campaign of vaccination, is making a comeback. As of early Friday, six cases of measles have been linked to an elementary school in Florida. And in the face of this potential crisis, Ladapo is sending out advice that is a direct threat to Florida’s kids.
The first case of measles tied to Manatee Bay Elementary School was noted on Feb. 16. In four days, the number of known cases rose to six.
Measles is one of the most transmissible diseases known. A single infected person can infect a large number of others with even very brief contact, and the virus can linger in the air for two hours after an infected person has left the room. Up to 90% of those exposed to measles will get measles if they don’t have the immunity provided by vaccination.
But rather than encouraging students to stay home or urging parents to seek vaccination for their children, Ladapo did the opposite of that. This past Monday, he sent a letter to parents encouraging them to make their own decisions about returning their children to the classroom.
Because of the high likelihood of infection, it is normally recommended that children stay home until the end of the infectious period, which is currently March 7, 2024. … However, due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.
Notably, he does not tell parents of unvaccinated children to get their kids vaccinated. He does not tell parents with unvaccinated children to not send those kids to school. Instead, Ladapo tells parents to rely on the fact that other parents have had their children vaccinated because that provides a buffer for the unvaccinated.
As Scott Rivkees, a former surgeon general of Florida, warned, "This is not a parental rights issue. It's about protecting fellow classmates, teachers, and members of the community against measles, which is a very serious and very transmissible illness."
In addition to children whose parents chose not to have them vaccinated, there are numerous other vulnerable groups. Those include infants too young to be vaccinated and people who cannot get vaccinated because of medical conditions. Almost all such people will get measles if exposed. Only through isolating the infected and vaccinating all who can get vaccinated can a disease this infectious be stopped.
But, just as with his horrendous advice on COVID-19, Ladapo refuses to follow the science in protecting Florida’s children (and teachers, and families, and others) against measles.
As The Washington Post reports, conspiracy theorists like Ladapo have created a vicious and deadly circle:
“The reason why there is a measles outbreak in Florida schools is because too many parents have not had their children protected by the safe and effective measles vaccine,” said John P. Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. “And why is that? It’s because anti-vaccine sentiment in Florida comes from the top of the public health food-chain: Joseph Ladapo.”
Meanwhile, Ladapo is not just a star of the right; he’s also enjoying a cushy side job as a professor for the University of Florida, which seems to consist of dropping in from time to time to spread his vaccine denial in lectures to unfortunate students. The combination of positions means the state of Florida is shelling out $437,000 per year for Ladapo’s crackpottery.
But the real cost is much, much higher.
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