Louisiana Governor Jindal, Secretary Levine Launch "Fight the Flu" Campaign

Initiative to increase public awareness to help prevent spread of H1N1 and seasonal flu

Sep 30, 2009 --

LAFAYETTE – Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal joined Department of Health and Hospitals’ (DHH) Secretary Alan Levine to get their seasonal flu shots and launch the “Fight the Flu” campaign in Lafayette at the Teche Drug Store. Aimed at keeping Louisianians healthy during flu season, the campaign will promote immunizations and hygiene in order to prevent the spread of the seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus.

The “Fight the Flu” campaign will include public service announcements for TV, radio, and print publications focused on educating Louisianians about the flu and encouraging them to take extra precautions to protect their health and the health of their families.

Governor Jindal said, “Today we’re launching the Fight the Flu campaign and stressing the importance of seasonal flu immunization. This is especially important because by protecting yourself and your family against the seasonal flu, you can stay healthy – and ensure you and your family are not faced with two flus this season.

“We also want to guard against a high surge in seasonal flu activity because we do not want the H1N1 flu along with the seasonal flu to overly strain our doctors and our hospitals. Every Louisianian can play a role in fighting the flu by getting a flu shot, staying home when you don’t feel well, and educating your family and friends on preventing the spread of the flu.”

Secretary Levine said, “The Centers for Disease Control strongly advises that every American take appropriate steps to protect themselves and their families. We are fortunate that the H1N1 virus seems mild, but we cannot lose sight that more than 30,000 Americans die each year from the seasonal flu. So I urge all Louisianians to be vigilant in protecting themselves, their families and the people they interact with each day.”

The immunization and communications efforts in the “Fight the Flu” campaign will utilize nearly $20 million in funds from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants and DHH immunization programs. These funds include $390,792 from Recovery Act vaccines, $138,957 for seasonal flu plans from the state’s immunization program and $19 million in CDC grants for H1N1 preparedness and distribution.

Governor Jindal also announced that this is the first year in Louisiana’s history that the state issued an emergency order that allows board certified pharmacists to administer the seasonal flu vaccine without a doctor’s prescription. The flu shots for Governor Jindal and Secretary Levine were administered by Simone Ginn, President-Elect of the Louisiana Pharmacist Association. Board certified pharmacists will also be able to administer the H1N1 vaccine if they register and are trained in the program through DHH.

The seasonal flu vaccine is currently available through private providers and the ability of pharmacists to administer the vaccine as well will expand access for Louisianians.

Governor Jindal said, “This will increase access to both seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccinations statewide, help prevent infection and needless illness in our citizens, and ease demand on our hospitals and other providers this flu season.”

The Governor noted that the DHH Office of Public Health will also use federal funds to help ensure those with high-risk conditions receive the vaccine at local parish health units.

In 2008, the state administered approximately 89,000 doses of the seasonal flu vaccination to high risk adults. Governor Jindal said the goal is to administer the seasonal flu vaccine to more than 110,000 people, representing a 22 percent increase from last year.

There are two types of seasonal flu vaccine, injectable and intranasal. The injectable vaccine is an inactivated vaccine containing killed virus, which means that someone cannot get the flu by getting their flu shot. The intranasal vaccine contains a weakened version of the virus, and should only be given to healthy people with no underlying medical conditions between the ages of two and 49.

The seasonal flu shot is especially important for those groups that are at high risk of getting seasonal flu. These groups are:

* Children between the ages of six months and 18 years old
* All people over 50 years old
* Pregnant and breastfeeding women
* Other adults at risk for medical complications from influenza
* All people who live with or care for people at high risk for influenza-related complications, including contacts of children less than six months old

H1N1 Vaccine

The H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available starting in mid-October. To be protected from both seasonal flu and H1N1, people must receive separate seasonal flu and H1N1 shots.

The state expects to receive about 900,000 doses initially, followed every week by more vaccine. Initial doses will be made available to protect those who need protection the most. These groups make up about 1.6 million people in the state of Louisiana. Governor Jindal said that the H1N1 vaccine will be available to all citizens who want it; however, the campaign is expected to take four or five months.

The high risk groups for H1N1 are slightly different from the seasonal flu. They include:

* Pregnant women
* People who live with or care for children younger than six months of age
* Health care and emergency medical services personnel
* People from the ages of 6 months to 24 years
*
People from ages 25 through 64 years who are at higher risk for flu complications because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems

Guidance on the number of doses needed for the H1N1 vaccine is available at FightTheFluLA.com and CDC.gov.

The H1N1 vaccine is a federal asset supplied to states at no cost, then delivered to providers at no cost. Governor Jindal said the state expects guidelines will dictate no fee can be charged for the H1N1 vaccine itself or for needles and other supplies given by government to administer the vaccine.

Providers may be able to charge an “administrative” fee for time spent giving the shot and/or time spent recordkeeping. Fees may differ by provider, but cost is expected to be minimal.

Both the state and federal government are encouraging private health plans to cover the cost of administering H1N1 vaccinations. Medicare will cover the cost of administering the H1N1 vaccination, and Medicaid is expected to do so as well.

Once available, the DHH Office of Public Health will assist in the delivery of the H1N1 vaccine to provider sites that have preregistered and trained to use the Louisiana Immunization Network for Kids Statewide (LINKS) system, as states will be required to report all doses administered electronically to the federal government

A total of 1,147 providers have registered to administer the H1N1 vaccine thus far, with more than 500 being newly registered. Governor Jindal said that he believes all target populations – those who need the vaccine most – will have access within 8-10 weeks after initial receipt of the vaccine.

To stay healthy, all Louisianians are also encouraged to remember the following:

* Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
* Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
* Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
* If you are sick, stay home, limit contact with other and consult your physician.
*
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth because germs can spread that way.

For more information on seasonal flu or the H1N1 virus, visit www.fighttheflula.com.

Source: Louisiana Governor