Mixed vaccine signals as flu numbers hit record highs
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Louisiana's top leaders are sending mixed signals about vaccines just as the nation's flu numbers are hitting historic highs.
Why it matters: Louisiana is among the states with the most flu cases right now, according to CDC data, and though less effective than the 2024 version, those who received this year's flu vaccine have a 35% lower risk of hospitalization, Axios' Tina Reed writes.
The big picture: Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham sent an internal memo to state health workers last week telling them to stop hosting mass vaccination events, The Times-Picayune's Emily Woodruff reported.
- The memo also included a ban on seasonal vaccine promotion, she reported.
- Abraham's memo came at the same time he posted a letter on the Louisiana Department of Health's website denouncing the state's past embrace of COVID-19 vaccines.
Behind the scenes: Abraham meanwhile faces a simmering scandal after WWNO's Rosemary Westwood reported he may have misrepresented his medical credentials.
- Abraham has claimed he is a family medical doctor, but he does not appear to have board certifications from that specialty's credentialing body, Westwood reports.
- He is also not registered with the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians nor listed amongst family medicine specialists with the State Board of Medical Examiners, she reports.
The intrigue: Another of the state's top political leaders and a doctor, Sen. Bill Cassidy said Abraham's new vaccine directive "ignores the reality of people's lives."
- "Advertising the benefit of vaccines and where to get them helps parents improve the health of their child," Cassidy said in a Feb. 14 statement.
- "It's important information they may not have known or needed to be reminded of. Removing these resources for parents is not a stand for parents' rights. It prevents making health care more convenient and available for people who are very busy."
Yes, but: Cassidy also recently voted to confirm new Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation.