To the editor:

Dr. Joseph Ladapo as Florida’s Surgeon General inflicts malpractice on the citizens of Florida.

Anti-vaccination, anti-mask positions he espouses are dangerous and threaten the public health and safety. Many Florida elders and disabled died unvaccinated and unnecessarily; now we could have a measles outbreak.

According to The Cleveland Clinic, “Due to a successful vaccination program, measles in the U.S. was virtually eliminated by 2000.” The CDC reports there were nearly 120 cases in the U.S. in 2022. We’ve had 10 cases recently. We must stop its spread in Florida.

Currently, Dr. Ladapo’s positions rise to a level of malpractice: Not urging vaccinations and telling parents it is their choice whether to send their unvaccinated children to school.

Measles is highly contagious, requires 21 days of isolation in the unvaccinated after exposure, and can cause severe complications that includes blindness, encephalitis (an infection causing brain swelling and potentially brain damage), severe diarrhea and related dehydration, ear infection, severe breathing problems including pneumonia, and even death (WHO, 2024).

The main job of a surgeon general is to protect and promote the health of all residents and visitors in the state through organized state and community efforts.

A surgeon general who fails to urge vaccination for measles and who called for the halt of COVID vaccines and who doesn’t believe in mask protection against airborne exposures is simply unfit for the job.

Write to the Governor. Write to your state senator and representative to insist that this incompetent physician be removed from office.

Cindy Perouty

Fort Myers