An official website of the State of Louisiana.
Official Louisiana State Websites use .la.gov A .la.gov website belongs to an official
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock () or https:// means you've safely
Louisiana’s vaccine supply has been affected by the recent voluntary recall of 10 lots of Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine and two lots of a combination Hib and Hepatitis B vaccine. The children’s vaccine is being recalled as a preventive measure because the manufacturing company, Merck, cannot assure sterility for the lots involved.
With a click of a mouse and several quick keystrokes, doctors in Louisiana’s rural hospitals will soon have instant access to a patient’s medical information if it is stored electronically.
It is now easier and more convenient for citizens of Orleans Parish to receive preventive health care services with the opening of a parish health unit in the city. Located at 3308 Tulane Avenue, the newest health unit is at the site of the former Orleans Women’s Clinic that was devastated by hurricane Katrina.
This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week, and to provide free flu shots to citizens, the Calcasieu Medical Reserve Corps is sponsoring flu vaccine clinics at several locations in Calcasieu Parish.
More people will be tested for HIV in the upcoming year due to a $1.4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The grant is designed to increase testing among populations disproportionately affected by HIV, primarily African Americans.
Louisiana continues to rank in the top 15 states in reported cases of three nationally-notifiable sexually transmitted diseases -- syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Health officials continue to identify very few cases of West Nile virus in Louisiana this year. To date, only 44 cases of the mosquito-borne human disease have been confirmed. This compares to 190 cases at this same time last year.
In recognition of National Influenza Vaccination Week, immunization staff with the Department of Health and Hospitals remind people that it is not too late to get a flu shot. In fact, as flu season usually starts at this time of the year and doesn’t peak until January, this is the perfect time to get vaccinated.
West Nile virus infections have now been identified in 38 people in Louisiana, according to the most recent report issued by the Department of Health and Hospitals. Of the 38 total cases, 30 people have shown symptoms related to the virus and eight people were never ill. Of the 30 symptomatic cases, 21 of them are the more serious, neuroinvasive disease and nine are West Nile fever.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’ Bureau of Primary Care and Rural Health will host its fourth annual meeting and education event. The meeting will focus on the components of the patient-centered medical home system, a comprehensive and quality-driven model for primary health care delivery.
Beginning Dec. 1, Louisiana oyster harvesters will have a two-week opportunity to move oysters from the public oyster seed grounds located southwest of Point Au Fer and the South Point area, and transplant them to their private leases for later harvest.