public health

Florida announced its plans to be the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates for its citizens. Florida’s surgeon general has stated that “every last one” of these decades-old vaccine requirements “is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.”

Many parents, doctors and other public health workers worry that diseases controlled by vaccines for decades could resurface.

U.S. officials confirmed a case of the flesh-eating parasite in a person who traveled from El Salvador. Screwworm typically affects cattle in South America but has spread north in recent years.

The Health Care District of Palm Beach County agreed to pay $16.7 million, 32 percent above appraised value, to build a crisis stabilization center at 100 N. Benoist Farms Road.

A fiery debate over public health and personal rights has gripped Puerto Rico as legislators clash with medical experts. The debate began after Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives announced the mandatory use of face masks following a rise in COVID-19 cases.

The Florida Policy Project released two reports outlining ways for state lawmakers to improve the criminal justice system. They include recommendations to help people re-enter society after prison and reduce recidivism rates.

Florida lawmakers began moving forward with a proposal that would require legislative approval of extended public-health emergencies.

Broward County Public Schools staff, in response to new state law, were recommending scaling back sex ed curriculum. Board members called the proposal an overreaction.

Local health departments combat disparities by funding immigrant and minority community groups and letting them decide how best to spend the money.

Animals carry millions of pathogens. So it's a daunting task to find the one with the greatest potential to spark a pandemic. Now scientists are rethinking the way they hunt for that next new virus.

It’s the 12th time the emergency has been renewed since it was originally declared in January 2020. It is renewed for a 90-day period. The most recent declaration was to end Jan. 11.

As the pandemic raged, an independent nonprofit tied to the CDC hired an army of seasoned professionals to fill the gaps in the country’s public health system. Now, the money has largely run out.