A department spokesperson confirmed Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham had ordered his staff to stop engaging in media campaigns and community health fairs to encourage vaccinations, even as the state has experienced a surge in influenza.
Abraham’s announcement occurred the same day vaccine skepticRobert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in by the U.S. Senate to serve as President Donald Trump’s health secretary.
In a separate letter posted on the department’s website, Louisiana’s surgeon general decried “blanket government mandates” for vaccines and criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 vaccination push. Individuals should make their own decisions about vaccinations, Abraham said.
I agree that it’s impossible not to affect others. Every action has a reaction which I hope sparks something positive from my end at least.
To give some perspective, I received my kidney transplant at 37 shortly after starting dialysis at 36 due to something out of my control. My wife almost passed from stage 3 breast cancer in 2017. I admit I’m biased and don’t want to see others suffer from preventable diseases but do understand that everything has an inherent risk, including vaccines (present though smaller), and it’s up to the player to play their hand as they see fit.