On Feb. 13, 2025, Ralph L. Abraham, MD, the Louisiana Surgeon General announced that the state will no longer promote the use of vaccines to prevent disease. Abraham previously served as the representative for Louisiana’s 5th congressional district from 2015 to 2021, and failed to advance to the runoff for the election of the state’s governor in 2019.

State health officials reported that a study in Health Affairs found that after the pandemic, only 37% of the public trusted information from the CDC a “great deal,” and only 25% trusted state and local health departments. Doctors fare better, but the trend is consistently alarming. A survey from JAMA showed that confidence in doctors decreased.

Abraham stated that the Mental health disorders were left unattended, spilling over into crises of homelessness and crime. In Louisiana, maternal and infant mortality remain near the worst in the nation. All the while, chronic disease rates continue creeping up to crisis levels. These are the post-pandemic priorities of the Louisiana Department of Health.from 71% in 2020 to 40% in 2024.

On December, 13, 2024, the Louisiana Department of Health reported the human H5N1 case in the U.S. The patient who had been hospitalized with the first human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1, in Louisiana and the U.S. died January 26, 2025. The patient was over the age of 65 and was reported to have underlying medical conditions. The patient contracted H5N1 after exposure to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there are now vaccines to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases, helping people of all ages live longer, healthier lives. Immunization currently prevents 3.5 million to 5 million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles.

The WHO states that immunization is a global health success story, saving millions of lives every year. Vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with your body’s natural defenses to build protection.