The flu is on the rise in Louisiana after the Health Department banned the shot

You don’t need a master’s degree in public health to see this mess coming. By Arstechnica:

Flu season is heating up across the US, but Louisiana — the state that reportedly banned its health department from promoting flu shots, as well as the COVID-19 and Mpox vaccines —leads the country with early and strong growth.

Flu activity in Louisiana has reached the “Very High” category set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the latest data. The 13-category scale is based on the percentage of doctor visits that were for influenza-like illness (ILI) in the previous week. Louisiana is at the first of three “Very High” levels. Oregon is the only other state to reach this level. The rest of the country runs the gamut, with 13 jurisdictions at “High,” including New York City and Washington, DC. There are 11 in “Moderate”, 10 in “Low” and 19 in “Minimal”.

Last week, NPR, KFF Health News and New Orleans Public Radio WWNO reported that the state has banned the health department and its workers from promoting annual flu shots, as well as vaccines for COVID-19 and mumps. The policy was explicitly silent, and officials avoided putting it in writing.