Louisiana ending promoting mass vaccines to restore 'public trust in health'
Feb. 14 (UPI) -- With a goal of "restoring public trust in health," Louisiana will stop promoting mass vaccines, state officials confirmed in a statement.
"Trust is built over years and lost in seconds, and we're still rebuilding from the COVID missteps," the Louisiana Department of Health said in a statement signed by the state's top doctor.
The move is in response to vaccines required during the COVID-19 pandemic, what the state calls "the greatest missteps" of the era.
"Conversations about specific vaccines, and whether or not a vaccine is right for a specific person, are best had with the individual's healthcare provider, who best understands their individual situation and relevant medical history," Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham said on X.
The directive was at the behest of Abraham and Deputy Surgeon General Wyche Coleman.
"There are some appropriate examples of government recommendations, such as encouraging routine screenings like colonoscopies or Pap smears and facilitating access, especially for the poor," the statement reads.
"But promotion of specific pharmaceutical products rises to a different level, especially when the manufacturer is exempt from liability for harms caused by the drug, as is the case for many vaccines. It is understood that the products pushed will benefit some and cause harm to others, but public health pushes them anyway with a one-size-fits-all, collectivist mentality whose main objective is maximal compliance."
Vaccine requirements imposed by levels of government have been a contentious issue since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Perhaps there are some treatments that every human being should take, but they are few and far between, and things that are good generally don't have to be pushed by the government," the Louisiana statement reads.
"As a nation, we must recognize that there is no miracle pill for the major population health problems we face.Government should admit the limitations of its role in people's lives and pull back its tentacles from the practice of medicine. The path to regaining public trust lies in acknowledging past missteps, refocusing on unbiased data collection, and providing transparent, balanced information for people to make their own health decisions."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has publicly campaigned against vaccines, earlier this week was confirmed as the Trump administration's Secretary of Health and Human Services.
In late January, Kennedy said he would not "go into HHS and impose my preordained opinions on anybody at HHS. I'm going to empower the scientists to do their job."
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