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The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is advising residents to avoid areas affected by the oil spill. The oil could cause adverse health effects in some individuals. Residents should follow the guidelines below.
The Louisiana departments of Health and Hospitals, and Wildlife and Fisheries announced today they will be closing select fishing areas and oyster harvesting beds as a precautionary response to the oil spill in the Gulf.
Statement from DHH Secretary Alan Levine on Oyster Safety
Statement by DHH and DEQ on Reports of Petroleum Odor in Onshore Communities.
Governor Bobby Jindal held a press conference today following a meeting with the Unified Command Group to give an update on the state’s actions in response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Earlier in the day, Governor Jindal visited the Coast Guard Command Center in Houma for a briefing on the oil spill and then he joined Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry and BP executives for a flyover of the oil spill area in the Gulf. At the press conference, Governor Jindal emphasized the state’s continued monitoring of the oil spill in the Gulf and preparations for any potential effects on Louisiana’s coastline in the coming days.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is joining the Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families to celebrate Nurse-Family Partnership Day at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge on Monday, April 26, 2010. The Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP) is an evidence-based community health program which helps transform the lives of vulnerable mothers pregnant with their first child.
The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports will welcome some of the top elementary school athletes in Louisiana to the Carl Maddox Field House at LSU this weekend. The Elementary Fitness Meet program includes students from 25 parishes across Louisiana, and the council has seen a significant increase in the physical fitness levels of elementary school children in the last three years from these parishes.
The Department of Health and Hospitals will reopen oyster Harvest Area 13 at sunrise, Wednesday, April 21, 2010. DHH closed the area on March 30, 2010, due to a norovirus outbreak linked to oysters from the areas.
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and has issued an emergency do-not-use water advisory in parts of South Shreveport near Wallace Lake effective immediately.
The CDC reports the new strain, like other norovirus strains, is transmitted person to person, and has been confirmed nationwide for about 50 percent of the recent norovirus outbreaks. In Louisiana, the strain has sickened dozens and forced the closure of some oyster harvest areas. Because the strain is new, few people are immune to it causing more outbreaks.
The Department of Health and Hospitals will reopen both oyster Harvest Area 7 and oyster Harvest Area 3 this week. Area 7 will reopen at sunrise Thursday, April 15, 2010, while Area 3 will reopen at sunrise Friday, April 16, 2010. DHH closed the beds on March 24th and 25th, respectively, due to a Norovirus outbreak linked to oysters from the areas.
Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced the appointment of Damion Cummins to the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee.