
REUTERS/via SNO Sites/Hannah Beier
A child receives a dose of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S. September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah Beier
Vaccines are one of mankind’s greatest inventions to date. With vaccines, debilitating diseases like measles and polio have been significantly reduced, allowing for greater quality of life. To be more specific about how vaccines function, they work by mimicking an infection to activate the body’s natural defenses. In turn, this teaches the body to learn how to defend itself against the disease, without the consequences of the entire infection. It is the result of vaccines that about 4 million deaths worldwide are prevented every year. While most states sensibly allow for vaccine mandate exemptions for religious and/or medical reasons, the state of Florida has taken this one step further. Florida aims to become the first state to nullify all vaccine mandates, including those that require children to be vaccinated to attend school. The effects of this, especially on young children, will almost certainly lead to more disease outbreaks. This would also affect those who are unable to receive vaccines on account of medical and/or religious reasons, as they are also more likely to contract an illness. Such outbreaks could spread to other places and states as well. While it is too early to see an effect, the long-term impact has the potential to greatly affect vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.