Give Florida a shot of reality. Tighten vaccination exemptions | Randy Schultz

Vaccines can eradicate disease. If only we could eradicate myths about vaccines.

Hearing about measles outbreaks in the United States is like hearing that televisions again have just three channels and water fountains in the South again are segregated. Yet there were 17 outbreaks last year. Five states face outbreaks now. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization reported that measles cases globally rose 300 percent between January and March compared to 2018.

No outbreak has occurred in Florida. Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Times reported last week that the number of unvaccinated children due to religious exemptions nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2018, to roughly 25,000. The biggest increases have occurred in the last two years.

A Legislature concerned about public health would end that religious exemption, which gives vaccine-fearing parents cover for opting out. Florida doesn’t allow exemptions on personal grounds — only medical.