DeSantis claims that his surgeon general has been vindicated on measles-in-school advice

Measles symptoms include a rash. (Credit: Canva)

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Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s response to a measles outbreak in South Florida, which included advising parents that they could continue to send children to class notwithstanding that measles can kill.

A letter Ladapo sent to Broward County parents on Feb. 20 noted “the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school,” and said his office “is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.”

During a news conference in Orlando Wednesday, DeSantis insisted the Florida outbreak has ended. Since February, the state has reported 11 cases of measles in three counties — nine in Broward in South Florida, one in Polk in Central Florida, and the newest one in Martin, in the southeastern part of the state on the Atlantic side.

“The whole corporate media was acting like … this was unique to Florida. They smeared our surgeon general for putting out very well thought out, balanced guidance. Flash forward, there was no outbreak, additional outbreak. So, his response was correct,” DeSantis said.

“Now you see 30 cases in Chicago, with illegal aliens. I don’t hear the same carping from the media. In fact, they’re not talking about it really very much at all. So, it just goes to show you, you know, the phony narratives that get put out all to drive a phony agenda. The fact of the matter is, they kind of whip it up and then when things go a different direction from what they predicting they just forget that it ever happened and then they just move on,” he continued.

(Illinois Department of Health data show 33 measles cases so far in 2024, with Chicago at 31 cases and two others in the suburbs.)

‘They handled it appropriately’

“I think it’s important to point out, you know, our Department of Health, our surgeon general, were on this. They handled it appropriately. You see even more cases in these other areas and you don’t hear the same kind of carping, and I wonder why that is,” the governor concluded.

Symptoms include fever, cough, skin rash, lethargy, and body aches. Complications can include pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles, plus encephalitis and convulsions.

However, the CDC’s website argues that the measles vaccine is “highly effective.”

“Two doses of measles vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles if exposed to the virus. One dose is about 93% effective,” the agency says.

However, unvaccinated people are highly likely to catch the disease if exposed to it.

Ladapo ranks among a small cadre of medical specialists who have played down the danger of COVID but focused on the alleged dangers of COVID vaccines, especially among young men.

A March 10 letter to Ladapo by the heads of the CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that such claims are “incorrect, misleading and could be harmful to the American public.”

Overall, the CDC has reported 64 measles cases in 16 states and New York City. The states are: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.

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