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LDH News

• May 12, 2003

  Health Department Reports Eight More Dead Birds

  Baton Rouge --- The total count of dead birds infected with the West Nile virus in the state of Louisiana stands at 41, with the addition of eight dead birds the Department of Health and Hospitals reported this week. Four of the eight latest birds are from Franklin, Grant, Iberia and Winn parishes, where no West Nile virus specimens had been previously reported. The remaining four birds came from East Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Livingston and Rapides parishes, all of which had previously reported infected specimens.

• May 08, 2003

  Health Department Investigates Two Possible Human Cases of West Nile, St. Louis Encephalitis

  Baton Rouge – The Department of Health and Hospitals is investigating two possible cases, one from Shreveport and one from Bossier City, of mosquito-borne illnesses in north Louisiana. In both cases, multiple laboratory tests have been conducted on blood samples and the test results have proven inconclusive for either West Nile virus or St. Louis Encephalitis.

• May 01, 2003

  CommunityCARE Kicks Off in North Louisiana Friday

  Baton Rouge --- Representatives from the Department of Health and Hospitals are traveling to North Louisiana Friday, May 2, to introduce the CommunityCARE program to local medical professionals and community leaders. DHH representatives will host two public forums, one in Monroe at 8:30 a.m. and another in Shreveport at 12:30 p.m. DHH Secretary David W. Hood and Medical Director Dr. Jimmy Guidry will attend both forums.

• April 30, 2003

  Feds Update LDH on Calcasieu Dioxin Investigation

  Baton Rouge – The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has updated the Department of Health and Hospitals on two new developments in the on going investigation of human dioxin exposure in Calcasieu Parish.

• April 30, 2003

  Three More Birds Test Positive for West Nile

  Baton Rouge --- Two dead blue jays from Assumption and Jackson parishes and a dead cardinal from Union Parish have pushed Louisiana’s count of West Nile positive dead birds past 30. The total number of dead birds infected with the virus is now 33, with 541 birds tested this year and 3,091 reported. The three parishes these new dead birds came from previously had no birds that tested positive for the virus. West Nile specimens now have appeared in 24 parishes statewide.

• April 29, 2003

  Louisiana Concludes Phase One of Smallpox Vaccinations

  Baton Rouge --- Phase One of Louisiana’s program to vaccinate health care workers against smallpox has ended, and many have labeled the program a success.

• April 27, 2003

  Companies to Help Department Maximize Federal Funds

  Baton Rouge --- The Department of Health and Hospitals today awarded a contract to two consulting groups to help the Department of Health and Hospitals make the most of its federal funds. The contract was part of a mandate from Gov. Mike Foster’s office that asked the department investigate where it could recover additional federal revenues in the budget.

• April 22, 2003

  More Louisiana Families Now Eligible for Health Coverage from the State

  Baton Rouge – The federal government recently published new guidelines that will allow people to earn more money yet still qualify for some Medicaid programs.

• April 21, 2003

  Foster Declares April 21-25 Playground Safety Week

  Warm weather causes children to swarm onto the playgrounds at parks, schools and other public facilities. The Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Public Health, along with other agencies, wants to make sure bumps, bruises and broken bones do not spoil a good time.

• April 17, 2003

  Health Department Detects West Nile in 21 Birds

  The Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Public Health reports 21 birds in 17 parishes statewide have tested positive for West Nile virus. Caddo, Calcasieu, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Livingston, Orleans, Ouachita, Rapides, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vernon, Washington and West Baton Rouge parishes all have had positive birds. No human cases have been reported this year.

• April 14, 2003

  More Louisiana Families Now Eligible for Health Coverage from the State

  The federal government recently published new guidelines that will allow people to earn more money yet still qualify for some Medicaid programs.

• April 07, 2003

  West Nile Virus Now Detected in Six Birds

  The health department had three dead birds tested positive for traces of West Nile virus this week.