Florida’s surgeon general said he didn’t calculate the costs of ending vaccine mandates in the state. But scientists have. Highlight

If childhood vaccinations in the US drop by half, the study predicted 51.2 million cases of measles over 25 years, 9.9 million cases of rubella, 4.3 million cases of polio and 200 cases of diphtheria. That would result in an estimated 51,200 cases of brain damage from measles, 5,400 cases of post-polio paralysis, 10.3 million hospitalizations and an average of 159,200 deaths.

A 50% drop in vaccination rates may sound extreme, Kiang said, “but I will say that I think it is within the realm of possibility.”