Religious vaccine exemptions on the rise in South Florida schools

A growing number of Floridians are choosing not to vaccinate their children, as parts of the country are currently battling measles outbreaks. At least one measles case has been reported in South Florida. 

While most students are vaccinated in Broward and Miami-Dade schools, the number of students with religious exemptions to vaccine requirements has gone up in both counties in recent years, according to data obtained by NBC6 Investigates. 

The trend is not only happening in Florida. 

Measles is a virus once considered eliminated in the United States. There have been cases reported in at least 15 states so far this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Outbreaks of measles in two states have been linked to two deaths, including a child in Texas, and an adult in New Mexico who tested positive for the virus. Both were unvaccinated according to health officials. 

In early March, a student at Miami Palmetto Senior High School tested positive for measles, the school district confirmed. 

It’s the type of news Monique Gonzalez, a mom with two kids in public schools, doesn’t want to hear. 

“These diseases are really infectious,” she said. 

She says she followed guidance from the family’s pediatrician and vaccinated both of her kids.

“It was a logical thing to do,” she said, “I want my kids to be healthy. I want them to be safe.”

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be spread through coughing, sneezing, and even breathing. In rare cases, it can lead to serious complications, including encephalitis or even death. 

While the majority of parents do vaccinate their children,  the number of those choosing not to is on the rise. 

Data from the CDC shows the percentage of children in kindergarten with a non-medical exemption is growing nationwide, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Florida actually is amongst the leaders in vaccine exemptions,” according to Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida, and the former director of the Duval County Health Department. 

He says religious exemptions have reached levels that put communities well below the 95% vaccination threshold for kindergarteners needed to protect against measles outbreaks.

“To a point where in fact we do not have herd immunity,” he said, “And it increases the risk not only for those individuals who are not vaccinated but for the community in general.”

A January report from the Florida Department of Health says religious exemptions among children ages 5 to 17 are increasing each month. Statewide, over 6% of kids have opted out of immunization by requesting religious exemptions. In some counties, it’s up to nearly 15%. 

The department says in the report “Communities with a higher proportion of religious exemptions (REs) to vaccination are at increased risk of vaccine-preventable disease transmission.”

“I don’t disagree with that,” Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said about the department’s assessment. In an interview with NBC6 during a visit to Miami, Ladapo was asked about his message for parents who have concerns about the risk of vaccine-preventable disease transmission. 

“The same message I’ve pretty much always had,” he said, “Which is that parents should be able to make the choices they want for their families, for their kids. The increase of religious exemptions is not just Florida but just around the country.” 

Ladapo blames the increase to health officials’ response to the COVID pandemic, adding he believes they “squandered” trust during that period. 

When asked again what he wants to say to parents in Florida who are now relying on him and his department for guidance about vaccines.

“In some areas, parents have had a very difficult time getting good information, getting unbiased information,” he stated. When asked for specifics on what is the good information on which parents can rely, he said, “We're actually working on that in the Department of Health.”

He did not provide details to NBC6 Investigates. But in early March, he sent a letter to parents, after the case of measles at Miami Palmetto Senior High. It said while “it’s normally recommended for children without immunity to stay home until the end of the incubation period,” the department left it up to parents to make attendance decisions, because of the high vaccination rate at the school.  

Meanwhile, vaccine skepticism is reaching new highs. 

“I do feel the misinformation that's out there could confuse somebody,” said Monique Gonzalez. 

“There's been no issue in medicine that's been studied more than vaccines,” Dr. Goldhagen said, adding it’s good for parents to be hesitant and ask questions, but he urges them to rely on their own trusted doctors.

“I can state unequivocally that in fact, vaccines are safe, and that the vaccine schedule is safe,” said Dr. Goldhagen, “However, if parents have a concern about that, talk to their pediatrician.” 

“I'm really concerned for those who aren't vaccinated or who have immune systems that can't handle such a disease,” Gonzalez said. 

Dr. Goldhagen stresses with fewer parents vaccinating their children, communities also face a greater risk of the return of other preventable diseases like pertussis, polio and others.

Several groups that raise concerns about requiring vaccines for children did not respond to a request for an interview or comment.  Dr. Ladapo said Florida’s Department of Health is working to share updated information on vaccines in the coming weeks, without providing specifics.

Miami-Dade and Broward Public Schools told NBC6 that students’ safety is a top priority, adding they partner with other groups to offer immunizations (which are required for students at both public and charter schools) at select locations, events or directly at school sites. When asked about the case in Palmetto Senior High School, an MDCPS spokesperson reiterated the school is taking the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

Dr. Goldhagen fears the current pattern of not vaccinating children will continue, exposing more young people to a virus he says should be taken seriously.  

“Any death of a child is serious and lamentable,” he said, “But a death of a child from a preventable disease is unconscionable.”