As the flu virus continues to run rampant through Louisiana, the state finds itself at number-one in the United States for the highest flu rate. While the Louisiana Department of Health is reportedly ordering its employees not to promote flu vaccination events or encourage Louisiana residents to get vaccinated, the city of New Orleans’s health department is taking the opposite tact.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Louisiana is tied with Oregon as the states with the highest flu rates in the nation. The CDC’s latest data shows the Pelican State and the Beaver State have “Level 11” flu activity, putting them in the “very high” activity category.
That news has prompted New Orleans city leaders to put out the call to residents to get vaccinated as soon as they can.
“Flu cases in (Louisiana) are among the highest in the U.S,” city leaders said in a text message and email distributed Monday afternoon via NOLAReady. “Vaccines are available and usually free. Find a location at vaccine.gov.”
That message came three days after National Public Radio reporter Rosemary Westwood published a story stating that LDH has placed a ban on its employees from promoting seasonal vaccines. That ban, Westwood reports, includes a prohibition on employees giving interviews about vaccines, promoting vaccination events online, and hosting vaccination events. Westwood’s report cites LDH workers, who said the unwritten mandate came from state Surgeon General Ralph Lee Abraham.