LDH’s move away from encouraging vaccines causes concern amid flu outbreak

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Historically, and especially during the COVID pandemic, the Louisiana Department of Health has encouraged vaccinations, but that will no longer be the case.

This comes as a surprise to some, since the Bayou State currently has one of the highest flu rates in the nation.

The LDH provided the following statement:

“As the country continues to shift out of the pandemic and public health emergency, the Department has been focused on reevaluating both the state’s health priorities as well as our messaging around vaccine promotion, especially for COVID-19 and influenza, which were a priority throughout the pandemic.

“In general, the department is shifting away from one-size-fits-all paternalistic guidance to a more informative approach aimed at enabling individuals, in consultation with their doctor, to make better decisions for themselves.

“The Department has been very transparent about its shift to other public health priorities, like reducing overdose deaths, maternal mortality, and the burden of chronic disease in the coming years – health issues that were often deprioritized during the pandemic.

“The Surgeon General has expressed personal concerns about the efficacy and safety of the COVID vaccine, and the department’s stance is that immunization for any vaccine, along with practices like mask wearing and social distancing, are an individual’s personal choice. If an individual has questions on whether or not they should get a certain vaccine, that discussion and decision should occur between a patient and their healthcare provider, who best understands their individual situation and medical history.”

Louisiana Families for Vaccines is a nonprofit focused on educating families about the impact of immunization on personal and public health. Founder Dr. Jennifer Herricks is appalled by the state’s decision.

“As I read the article that outlined this new policy my heart just sank more and more, realizing that the Department of Health seemed to be putting politics ahead of the health of the people in the state that they serve,” Herricks said.

She and her team crafted an open letter against what they call an “anti-science policy shift.”

“Not everyone has regular access to a physician’s office unfortunately, so the Department of Health really does play a crucial role, and one of the things that we’re doing is we have an open letter to the Department of Health that any healthcare worker in Louisiana can add their name to,” Herricks said.

LDH said promotion of immunizations for children will continue.

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